Life's Decisions
by sayyida jaida
Summary: How is the Marriage Law affecting the lives of some of the other characters that inhabit the Wizarding World? DracoHermione, MarcusKatie...
1. Chapter 1

**Life's Decisions**

I don't own the characters.

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Sitting around a table in the Leaky Cauldron, they looked like any other group of young men. It was only when someone drew close enough to overhear their conversation that it became obvious that these young men were not out just for a night of drunken debauchery, but had serious issues they were discussing.

"Marcus, it should be easy for you. You have Quidditch groupies following you everywhere. Some of them have to be Mudbloods. Just pick one," a platinum blond with pale grey eyes pointed out.

He was immediately answered with a scowl. The large man he had been addressing with frighteningly misaligned teeth looked like he wanted to squash the blond. "Draco, why would I want a Quidditch groupie? They drive me nuts as it is. All they're good for is sex. Didn't you ever realize the thrill of that wears off?"

This answer received chuckles from the other young men at the table. "We are in so much bloody trouble over this stupid marriage law. All I hear about is how hard it is for the Mudbloods. But no one thinks about the ramifications to US!" I third member of the group complained, getting agitated after a few drinks. "I mean, they at least get someone chosen for them if they refuse, and if no one offers, they're off the hook. But us? If we don't make an offer, we get thrown in Azkaban!" Adrian Pucey, like the other members of the group, was confronted with his impending future.

"And that's not even the worst part for us Slytherins, Adrian!" The blond was getting worked up, too. "The worst part is we Slytherins don't KNOW any Mudbloods, or really any half-bloods, either. I mean, they just don't get sorted into Slytherin! Well, I guess the occasional half-blood does, but they're all male, usually hate muggles more than we do, and plan to prove themselves by whatever means necessary!" Draco was on a tangent.

"Hmmm, that's true, isn't it? The Weasley's have all managed to pair off and marry under this law already, haven't they?" Pucey asked.

"Well, not all of them. The two youngest are still single. Ron and Ginny. But Ginny is still underage, and a girl, so the rules are different. I think Ron and Lavender Brown are getting married soon, though. So all the ones that might end up in Azkaban are married," Malfoy answered him.

"Do you know who the rest of them married?" Pucey asked. He didn't usually keep up with the gossip, even though he worked in the office that was responsible for the law, but he knew the blond Slytherin did. However, his answer came from the fourth member of their group.

"Well, the oldest was already married to the French triwizard champion…uh…Fleur," Montague told them. At this his companions looked impressed. They all remembered the part-vela from their Hogwarts days. "The one who works with Dragons apparently married another member from the Order of the Phoenix before the end of the war…some auror."

Malfoy interrupted at this point. "Yes, she's my cousin on Mum's side. She goes by the name of Tonks. Apparently, Mum got an invitation to the wedding," he said with a chuckle.

Picking up where he left of, Montague continued listing the Weasley sons' marriages. "That stick in the mud that was a year or so older…"

"Percy," clarified Pucey.

"Right, Percy…he married Penny Clearwater." This got nods all around the table. They had been Head Boy and Girl together and there had always been rumors of them dating. "And the twins married Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. Don't remember which one goes with which, though. They had a double ceremony."

"Lucky bastards. Those were some hot chasers in their day," Pucey added with disgust. "Sounds like the Weasleys all did pretty well." This met with grumbles from the rest of the table.

"It just proves my point, though, that this law is out to get us! They all knew some Mudbloods well enough to make it work for them. We don't even know for sure who is a Mudblood! Well, other than Granger, the Ultimate Mudblood," Draco railed against the unfairness of the universe.

"Hey, did she ever get married?" Montague asked.

"Hmm, not that I am aware of…" Pucey answered.

"You can't be serious! She's horrible. She's irritating in the extreme!" Draco was getting worked up, color flushing his pale cheeks.

"Malfoy, she's not drop-dead gorgeous, but she's not bad, either. At least, out from under the school robes. She's smart and powerful, which would be a good thing in a potential mother of any children…and she has political connections. She's a heroine of the war, after all. Order of Merlin, First Class." Montague was intent on pointing out her good points, "Hell, she's practically the adopted daughter of the man who is the most likely next Minister of Magic!"

"But that hair! And she has to know the answer to everything!" Draco's voice was rising with each observation.

"We're not blind, Draco. We remember what she was like, including how she looked. I also clearly remember the tension between you and her and her two friends. They were your worthy opponents at dear old Hogwarts. Just like Wood was mine…" Marcus drifted off in though, but only for a moment, "but that was then. Now, we have bigger problems to deal with. We have to find Mudblood wives. And she is a Mudblood, a smart one who is passionate about her friends, a powerful one with much better political connections that most Mudbloods could ever dream of. She's ideal, really," Marcus smirked at the look of dawning horror on the blond's face.

Draco decided to call his bluff, "Well, Marcus, if she's so great, you should petition for her."

"Well, maybe. But she is a bit young for me. I'll have to talk it over with Father. Adrian, didn't you say there was a list somewhere of available partners by age? That would make this much easier…" Marcus said with finality.

"Yeah, we keep a list in the office. You want to come take a look? There won't be anyone there now, so less embarrassment…"

"Sure. What the hell. Maybe we'll even recognize some names," Montague answered.

The four of them left some money on the table to pay their tab and left the warmth and light of the Leaky Cauldron for the coldness of the Ministry of Magic. In their hearts, each hoped that they would find an answer to their quandary.

After Apparating to the Ministry, the four of them made their way down to Pucey's office. As predicted, there was no one around this late at night.

"We'll start with the lists from England. I personally don't know anyone from another country, but if you boys do, I can get those lists out, too," Pucey looked to them for confirmation.

"Nah, we'll start closer to home. I have no desire to mess with translation spells," Montague informed him. The rest nodded in agreement.

"You know, I haven't even bothered to look at the lists, and I work here. Kind of ironic, isn't it? I check names off, but I have never bothered to look for myself," Pucey mused.

"Denial is not just a river in Egypt…" Flint snarked.

"Hey, Montague, that Ravenclaw seeker you had such a thing for is still on the list!" Pucey called out.

"Really? Hmmmm. That might work. I think I will petition for her first, since we can only submit one petition at a time…" Montague answered him.

"Here's the paperwork, and the info. Should you talk to your father about it first?" Pucey asked, handing him a stack of parchment.

"Nah, dear old Dad has told me to get a move on. He doesn't care who it is. To him, all Mudbloods are the same," Montague answered. It didn't take him long to fill out his paperwork while the rest of the boys continues to peruse the lists.

Finished, he handed it back to Pucey. "Here you go. All done. Well, I'm going to head home. Good luck on your searches," and with a half-smile, he Apparated home.

Pucey gave a start of surprise. "Well, well, look who we have here, Mandy Brocklehurst. I always did have a thing for Ravenclaws. I think I'll submit for her."

"He always liked them young, too," Marcus murmured to Draco. Draco snickered as Pucey gathered up his share of paperwork, oblivious to his two friends.

With a sigh, Draco went back to the list.

"Draco, can I be honest with you? For once? Without you flying off the broom?" Flint asked.

Draco gave him a hard look. "Not very Slytherin of you to ask like that, but I suppose we have been friends long enough to overlook the formalities."

"Draco, I really think you should petition for Granger." He held up a hand to forestall the protest forming on the younger boy's tongue. "I'm not your father, and I certainly am not going to tell you what to do, but I do have your best interests at heart. I think if she weren't a Mudblood, you would have been all over her in school. She's not gorgeous, but she's not bad. Smart, politically connected, powerful friends. She's independent enough to have a mind of her own, unlike Pansy. And I remember how you and Pansy were together…Draco, she drove you crazy. And something else to consider, you know for a fact that Granger would never marry you for your money. She's to Gryffindor for that. She's not a gold-digger."

"Marcus, Granger killed my father. Even if everything you said is true, and I'm not even saying it isn't, but…even so…she isn't going to want to marry me."

"I'd forgotten about that. Well, unless she has other offers, she doesn't have a choice. And she's a Gryffindor. She knows you aren't your father."

"I'll think about it. So, fair's fair. Who are you looking at?"

"Well, I just found Katie Bell's name on the list. I had no idea she was a Mudblood. Or a half-blood. Or whatever she is. I never even thought about it."

"Marcus, didn't she hate you at school. Didn't you try to kill her at one point?"

"Doesn't count, it was during Quidditch."

Draco laughed at this, "Right, all's fair in love and Quidditch!"

"Well, Draco, she hated me in about the same way Granger hated you. And Bell had a thing for my rival, Oliver Wood…about the same as Granger and Potter or Weasley or whoever…but she's smart, too, and she understands people like me from her time hanging out with Wood…so…all in all, maybe she'd be a good one for me to petition for…Pucey, where's that paperwork?"

And just like that, Marcus Flint's decision was made.

Seeing his long time friend and ex-Quidditch captain filling out the paperwork to petition for a wife through the Marriage Law made Draco realize this wasn't a game anymore. He had to do this, too, and soon, or risk prison. He no longer had a father to please in this choice, thanks to Granger. The closest he had was a surrogate big-brother in the form of Flint. And Marcus really seemed to think he should petition for Granger.

The more he thought about it, the more resigned he became. Certainly there were no other names on the list he recognized that he had any desire to petition for. The thought of marriage to the likes of Hannah Abbott was horrifying to Draco.

"Pucey, pass me my stack. We might as well all do this tonight," and with a sigh, Draco began filling out parchment that could alter his life.

Marcus couldn't help but smile at the blond he considered a younger brother. He really did think Granger would be good for him. He could only hope Bell would accept his petition. While he'd never admitted it to his mates, he'd always had a thing for her. Always. Well, once she was a little older anyway. He didn't go for pre-pubescent girls, after all.

Bell was blond, with long legs and blue eyes. She was smart. She played Quidditch, not just lusted after the players. If she hadn't had Wood so far up her ass, he may have tried for her sooner.

Wood…there was someone who Marcus could quite cheerfully hate. And did. They were still rivals, playing on rival teams. Marcus's team, the Falcons, won about half the games they played against Puddlemere United. Marcus saw Wood fairly frequently, but realized that in the last few years, he hadn't seen Bell around him. A mystery…

With a glance in the direction of his friends, he handed his stack of parchment to Pucey, chucked Draco on the shoulder, and headed home to contemplate the decisions he'd made today…

A/N: Please read and review...


	2. Chapter 2

**Still not mine.

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After the war had ended, Katie's two best friends had quickly married the Weasley twins. Frankly, Katie didn't know how they could stand them. She loved the twins, but they drove her crazy.

The twins had been quite successful in their joke shop business, and shortly after the wedding, had built a house for their new brides that had two separate wings. They would live together, but each family would have their own space, too. It worked well for them.

Both of her friends had been pregnant within a year, thanks to the way the law was structured, but it was thanks to Hermione that they hadn't gotten pregnant again.

The Ministry was quite archaic and didn't think much of Muggles. So the tests for birth control measures didn't detect Muggle forms. It was as if the Ministry thought Muggles still lived in the Dark Ages and didn't know how to prevent pregnancy.

But no one was complaining about that, or mentioning it to people that couldn't be trusted. Still, the information was slowly being leaked to Muggle-born witches. And it was in those witches' best interests that no one, not even their new husbands, ever find out.

For a while, Katie had dated Oliver, thinking that he might petition for her. But she had been abused of that notion when she came home from work early one day and found him in bed with some Quidditch groupie. That had been the end of it for her. She felt a little guilty that it had also meant the end of his friendships with the rest of the old Gryffindor team but overall felt pretty justified in her feelings of pleasure at her friends' loyalty. She rationalized her response by saying that it wasn't her fault they didn't want to be friends with him anymore, since she wasn't responsible for his wandering ways. And the old team hadn't appreciated his lack of respect for their friend…

She had moved out of his apartment and in with the Weasleys, and when the twins and their brides moved into the new house, she had stayed at the Burrow with Harry and Hermione.

Both she and Hermione had lost their families in the Second War with Voldemort. They had briefly talked about getting a flat together, but, well, Molly and Arthur had insisted they stay. She had become included in the Golden Trio of old along with, and now the four of them were more or less inseparable. Ginny was a member of their close-knit group as well when she was around. She took on the role of big sister for the girls, her own younger siblings having been killed along with her parents.

Neither she nor Hermione had been prepared the night the Death Eaters attacked their families. It had, in fact, been the same night. She had not been home that night; rather she had been spending it with Ali and Angie. They had been cutting loose after the end of their internships with the Ministry and had gone out with the twins and Lee for a night on the town. She had come home the next morning to find both of her parents along with her 2 younger sisters dead with not a mark on them. She had flooed the Weasley's in the moments before she had become completely hysterical, and they had contacted the Muggle authorities for her. The Muggle authorities were passing the deaths off as carbon monoxide poisoning. The Weasley's had taken her home with them that night, and she had not returned to the Muggle world until she began working with Arthur.

Hermione had been asleep in her room when a squad of Death Eaters, led by Lucius Malfoy, and broken through the wards on her family's home. She had heard her mother scream and bolted from her room only to see a flash of green light from under the door. By the time she was there, it was too late. Both of her parents lay fallen on the floor in heaps with masked, black robed Death Eaters standing above them. A fringe of platinum hair had given away Malfoy, his wand still pointed at her mother, and Hermione had let rip a slicing hex that had severed his head. Seeing her fury, the rest of the Death Eaters had Disapparated quickly, leaving her in the middle of the room with her dead parents and a decapitated Lucius.

She had summoned the Order, who had dealt with the mess and notified the Muggle authorities.

Ginny had graduated from Hogwarts and was no interning at St. Mungo's, and she had put in a petition for Harry. Even though Harry was technically a pure-blood since both of his parents had been Hogwarts graduates, they were petitioning to count him as a half-blood since he had been raised in ignorance of the wizarding world. The Weasley's had quite a bit of clout at the Ministry these days, and so it was likely the petition would be granted. Ron was getting ready to marry Lavender next month. The boys were quite wrapped up in their careers as Aurors and in the fiancées, and as a result Katie and Hermione had become closer and closer.

Katie was working for Arthur in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, taking over more and more of the work and acting as a liaison with Muggle Authorities since he was being groomed to take over as Minister.

Hermione was an Unspeakable. It fit her well, and she loved it. Whatever it was she did.

And so today, like most other days, found Katie, Hermione, and Molly sitting around the table at the Burrow over bowls of porridge, waiting for Arthur, Harry, and Ron.

Arthur was down a few minutes after the girls appeared in the kitched, and settled into the head of the table with his bowl awaiting the delivery of the Daily Prophet.

Harry and Ron could be heard careening down the stairs at the same time Molly looked up to a tapping on the window. She got up to let the owl in, thinking it to be Arthur's paper, only to have the Prophet owl followed into the kitchen by two other large and official looking birds.

Those two owls flew directly to Katie and Hermione, holding out their legs. Attached to them were large envelopes carrying the seal of the Family Council for the Ministry of Magic. Both girls, knowing full well what kind of letters young Muggle-born witches received from the Family Council, went quite pale at this, and shaken removed their letters.

Arthur and Molly, also aware of what was likely in those letters, were at a loss as to what to do for their "adopted" daughters.

"Well?" Ron asked when the paleness and the silence had stretched too far, "What do they say?"

Hermione shot Ron a hard look. "Mine says that a petition has been submitted for my hand in marriage and I am to report to the Family Council at 9 am. I assume Katie's is the same. It does not say who has done the petitioning." Hermione turned questioning eyes to Katie.

"Same here," Katie murmured, looking at the letter again, followed by looking at her bowl of porridge, which she pushed away. She was no longer hunger.

"They don't tell you who? They don't give you any warning?" Harry asked. He looked shocked, appalled, even though he had been on the receiving end of the Ministry's callousness before.

"No, Harry, they only give you a summons. We go and find out whom we are to marry and work through any details in the contract not covered by the law. Issues such as whether we will still work after children are born and such…Gods, I'm not ready for this…" Hermione was shaking again.

"Hermione, Katie, if I may make a suggestion," Molly paused, waiting for the two witches to look at her and give her their attention. Seeing she had it, she continued, "I believe you should both go change out of the robes you usually wear for work and put on something more formal. Dress up a bit. There is armor in fine clothing, and you will feel less vulnerable if you feel confident."

Both girls looked thoughtful at this, and nodding, went back upstairs to change their robes.

"Really, Mum, clothing? At a time like this?" Ron asked, skeptically.

"Yes, Ronald. Especially at a time like this. We have no idea who will be waiting for them on the other side of the door. But who ever petitioned knows exactly who to expect. They have the advantage. Their best clothing is a small advantage, but looking their best will give them confidence. And right now, that is what they need the most."

Ron still looked skeptical, but Harry nodded his understanding and agreement. After all, he was quite familiar with how much better a person feels when they look their best, having worn Dudley's too big clothing for his formative years. "Ron, think about how you felt in your first set of dress-robes…clothing is important."

Ron blushed at the reminder of his maroon dress-robes from fourth year. He didn't think this was quite the same, since his dress-robes had been hideous and the girls looked fine in their normal daily attire, but he wasn't going to argue.

Ron and Harry left for the Ministry at their normal time, along with Arthur. Arthur was going to let the Department of Mysteries know that Hermione had been petitioned for and wouldn't be in right away, if at all. Since Katie worked for him, he didn't have to notify anyone for her.

At 8:30, the girls came back downstairs. They were groomed immaculately, but business-like.

Molly gave them a silent hug. "Girls, I want you to know that we will always be here for you. We are your family now. Arthur will step in if needed to make sure the contracts are fair."

Hermione raised her chin, a look of defiance on her features. "Molly, you and Arthur have been great to us. Katie and I will make the best of this, things will be OK. And if they're not, then heaven help the men who petitioned for us, because we will make them sorry."

"We are Gryffindors, Molly. We won't break, no matter what. We'll do our House and you proud," Katie said. Her cheeks were flushed, but her back was strait. She looked at Hermione, and grinned, although the grin seemed to contain elements of a grimace. "Our motto should be Never Surrender, Especially to Pureblooded Snobs." If the three Gryffindor Alumni's laughter seemed a bit forced and hysterical, they didn't mention it, perhaps feeling it was justified.

Looking at the two young women that she had come to think of as daughters over the years, Molly ached for them, but she was proud. She only hoped that whoever had submitted the petitions for them would value them, treating them the way they should be treated.

"Off you go, then. Don't be late. And remember, you are loved. Make sure whoever petitioned you knows that the Weasley's think of you as family, which means you have six brothers that will hurt them if they don't treat you well…"

At this, both girls smiled and, with a pop, Apparated to the Ministry to meet their futures.

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**A/N: The Never Surrender as House Gryffindor motto was inspired by Shiv5468's Severus/Hermione fic A Law Unto Herself, posted at Ashwinder. I assume he got it from that Tim Allen movie that was a knock off of Star Trek, which title is escaping me now…**

**There are a number of great Marriage Law fics, most of which focus around Hermione/Severus. They are based on a challenge from WIKTT. While I enjoy a lot of them, I have always wondered what the other characters would do. As a fan of M/K, I decided to write this. If you are enjoying it, please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

Marcus awoke the next morning wondering if he had made the right decision. Marriage, after all, is a big deal. He snorted to himself for is inane thoughts. A big deal. Right. Try life altering, scary, potentially the worst mistake he'd ever made. With a sigh he climbed out of bed and dressed for the day, more carefully than he normally would. He didn't know if he would receive a summons today or not for a hearing with the Family Council, but it was best to be prepared.

Briefly, he wondered how Bell would take the news that he had petitioned for her. He hadn't seen he in some time, not since she had apparently broken up with Wood. It had been… Marcus though hard… about a year.

After his normal morning ablutions, Marcus dressed in a set of understated but expertly tailored dress-robes and headed down to breakfast.

He was unsurprised to see his father and mother at the table already, but he was a bit surprised to see a large envelope waiting for him at his place, baring the seal of the Ministry's Family Council.

"Marcus," his mother began, "is there something you would like to tell us?" She looked at him questioningly, clearly curious about the envelope.

His father had folded up his copy of the Prophet and was looking at Marcus curiously.

"I submitted a petition last night for Miss Bell."

The silence that followed that statement was deafening.

"For who?" His father asked.

"Katie Bell. She was a student with me at Hogwarts. When I found out that she was still unmarried, I decided to petition for her, rather than risk waiting longer and ending up in prison."

"I see," William Flint said. Looking at his face, it was clear he was thinking hard. "That name is familiar. What have I heard it in connection too?"

"I believe that after her family was killed by Death Eaters, she moved in with the Weasley family."

"Ah, yes, I believe I remember hearing something about that. Tragic. Are you sure she will be an… appropriate… wife for you?"

"I am not sure what you are trying to imply, Father. Katie Bell was a good student, a chaser, and has some very powerful friends. She was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and is best friends with Hermione Granger. She would not be an appropriate wife for me under normal circumstances, since appropriate is then define in terms of blood-purity and Galleons. However, given the current state of marriage arrangements, I believe she is in fact the best possible choice."

Marcus quickly picked up the envelope and opened it, seeing that he was scheduled to meet with the Council at nine, and looked back at his father.

"It's a moot point. I go before the Family Council in," he paused to check his watch, "half an hour." And with that, Marcus stood and nodded to his father, kissed his mother on the cheek, and Apparated away.

"William, I believe our boy has grown up," his mother observed.

"Yes, Emily, I believe you are right. I just hope he hasn't made a huge mistake."

"It will turn out all right. Besides, it was time he settled down and started producing my grandchildren."

William Flint sighed, looking at his happy wife. He wished he had been consulted. He hadn't been aware Marcus was ready to petition for anyone. Deep inside he was glad the matter was settled, though. If Marcus had to marry a Mudblood, at least it seemed the Mudblood he chose was well connected and respected. Once Marcus had mentioned her family had been killed by Death Eaters, William had made the connection. He hadn't been a part of that raiding party, but he knew several people who were.

* * *

Draco's morning began much the same as Marcus's. He awoke feeling slightly sick from his hangover, knowing that he should remember something, but unable to remember what.

Draco headed into his bathroom to search out a hangover potion and get ready to face the day. It didn't take long until he felt able to tolerate the light sneaking through his curtains. He dressed, quickly but immaculately, and headed down to breakfast.

Reaching the formal dining room, he was greeted by his mother's frosty silence. This was unusual, as Narcissa Malfoy was generally quick chipper in the morning.

"Mother," he greeted the regal blond woman at the head of the table.

"So, Draco, when were you going to tell me?"

Confused, and hoping this wasn't what he had been trying to remember, Draco stared at his mother blankly for a moment. "Tell you what?"

With a sigh Draco's mother handed him the envelope that had arrived with the dawn. She had read it, even though it was addressed to Draco, once she had recognized it for the type of letter it was.

"About your upcoming nuptials with a Miss Granger."

"Oh." Now Draco remember what it was he was trying to remember. "Ah…" Draco opened the envelope and quickly scanned through the missive. "I don't really have any details yet, Mother. My meeting is in," he glanced at his watch, "about half an hour. I'll come strait home and let you know how it went." And with that, Draco Apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

* * *

Upon arriving, Draco and Marcus ran into each other in the Atrium.

"So, last night wasn't a bad dream then? We really submitted petitions for marriage?" Draco asked his one time Quidditch captain.

"Apparently. How'd your mother take it?"

"About as well as you would expect. I am pretty sure she recognized the name, which would explain her lack of enthusiasm for my impending nuptials, given that I am marrying the witch who killed my father. What did you tell your parents?"

"Not much. Just that Katie's family was killed by Death Eaters. I think my father recognized her name after that. He didn't seem too appalled, and I think my mother is accepting it. Especially since she has been pestering me to settle down and give her grandchildren for a while now."

"Well, shall we go down to the Family Council floor?"

"Lead the way, Draco."

* * *

The girls arrived at the Ministry building several minutes early and headed down to the Family Council offices. In the lobby they saw several other witches they knew from Hogwarts. Approaching the counter, they noticed the receptionist was Susan Bones's older sister Sarah, who had been a classmate of Katie's. When she saw Katie and Hermione, her smile faded a bit, changing to a look of concern. This did nothing to bolster the confidence of the two witches who had received letters notifying them of the upcoming changes to their lives.

"Katie… Hermione… it's good to see you both. Your petitioners are both here already, and are waiting in the negotiation rooms with the neutral parties." She looked down at her clipboard that gave room assignments before she continued, "Katie, you will be in room nine and Hermione, you will be in room six. Good luck, both of you."

Katie and Hermione nodded to Sarah, turning to walk down the corridor that housed the negotiation rooms. Once they were out of Sarah's line of vision and earshot, Hermione turned to Katie. "Was it just me, or did she seem worried? I didn't know her at all at Hogwarts, but she seems to have the same mannerisms as Susan, and if that were Susan, she would have been scared to death."

Katie answered Hermione, "Hmmm… yes, she did seem nervous. I don't know if it was because of who we are, who you are, or who we are meeting, though."

"I think it was who we are meeting. She wished us good luck, not congratulations like the Ministry usually does given how they are trying to make these marriages seem like happy affairs…"

The girls had stopped walking; instead looking at each other as they tried to make sense out of the changes that their lives were taking.

"Well," Hermione said, standing in front of the door to room six, "here it is."

"Yeah," Katie answered her, eyeing the door labeled with a gold number ten, "our destiny awaits…"

"See you tonight," Hermione said, looking at Katie. "Be strong. We'll get through this. Like Molly said, we have a lot of people who will murder anyone who tries to hurt us…"

"Yeah," Katie answered her. The girls' voices had each been sounding less and less sure during their walk. "Hermione, pluck up. We have to be strong now…"

And taking a deep breath, the girls each opened the door to their assigned room and went in to meet their fate.

* * *

Room Six

* * *

Hermione entered the room she had been directed to and saw four men seated at a table. Three of them were strangers, the neutral parties that were there to make sure the contract was equitable. Seeing the fourth man seated at the table made her blood run cold.

"YOU! You petitioned for me? I must have entered the Twilight Zone!" Hermione was shocked to see the familiar, pointy features of Draco Malfoy looking up at her entrance. It was a face she had not seen in more than a year, not since the final battle where Voldemort had lost his life, not long after she had killed Draco's father. They had always hated each other. Hermione had always considered him a stuck up, pureblooded snob; Draco had always considered her a Mudblood, unworthy of the education she was receiving at Hogwarts. Their personal battle for supremacy and their hatred for each other had been subsumed in the general strife between their Houses. It had been the natural order of things.

Now they were to be married?

The shock to Hermione was so great that, for the first time in her life she was speechless. As her blood pressure dropped with the shock, she passed out. This was also a new experience for her.

Draco, seeing the blood drain from her face and the beginnings of a swoon, leapt from his chair with a seekers reflexes and caught her before her head could hit the floor, feeling pleased that he had shocked her, but wondering what her reaction would mean for the rest of their lives together.

Holding her in his arms he walked to the table to put her in a chair and revive her and was surprised at how well she fit against him. Maybe, he thought, Marcus had been right…

* * *

Room Ten

* * *

Katie opened the door to her negotiation room with a hand that shook slightly. While she had been getting dressed that morning, she had thought through all the possible pureblood males that she might find on the other side of the door, but had a hard time coming up with any. She had realized that being in Gryffindor, someone's blood status hadn't ever been an issue, so other than the twins (well, the Weasley's) and Oliver (who she didn't think would be there….hoped it wouldn't be him…) she didn't really know if any of her friends in Gryffindor were purebloods or not. She certainly had never asked the people she knew in other houses.

She knew Hermione felt the same way.

Sick with trepidation.

She hadn't said anything, but if you knew someone as well as Katie and Hermione knew each other, you didn't have to mention it aloud.

Seizing all of her Gryffindor courage, Katie pushed open the door and stepped through. Stopping on the threshold, Katie scanned the table of men in front of her. There were three men there she didn't recognize, and one she did.

Marcus Flint.

For a moment, Katie was stunned, and stood there, staring him in the face. Katie hadn't seen Marcus in person in almost a year since she stopped going with Oliver to Quidditch games. Marcus had become more muscular, if that were possible. And while he still had teeth that would make dentists drool with the thought of the amount of a bill, overall he wasn't bad looking. The problem with Marcus, Katie realized, was that his personality and actions towards her and her Gryffindor friends had colored her perception of him.

Marcus was equally stunned at seeing Katie. She had matured in the last year, and now was a tall, lithe young woman with softly curling hair that fell to her arse and wide-set blue eyes. She was beautiful.

Taking a deep breath, Katie walked towards the table. The men stood at her arrival and Marcus moved to pull out her chair, gently pushing it in for her after she had been seated. She sent him a weak grin, never having realized that he had any manners given his past treatment of her on the Quidditch pitch.

"Miss Bell, thank you for joining us so promptly," one of the solicitors said.

"Gentlemen, and Miss Bell, if you do not mind, we will begin with the standard marriage contract and see what changes, if any, you wish to make," the second solicitor stated.

Katie just nodded, being unfamiliar with marriage contracts in general. Marcus took a copy from the third solicitor and held it out to her. She took it and quickly glanced through it. It seemed fairly straightforward. Katie noticed that after the birth of a child, or after five years if no children were born, either party could dissolve the marriage. That was fairly liberal for the wizarding world. It meant that if things were going badly, she would only be stuck with him for five years…

"I have no problems with the contract as a base. However, I have some specific questions about this situation," Katie said, realizing she had to speak up for herself. "Are we discussing that at this time, or only between Flint and me?"

"Now is the appropriate time, so that we can determine whether it will be necessary to amend the contract."

"All right. In the muggle world, which I am more familiar with, the bride's family is responsible for wedding planning and funding. I am an orphan, and while I live with the Weasleys and consider them my family, I do not wish to ask them to pay for the wedding. I make a decent wage here at the Ministry, but not enough to fund much in the way of a wedding. Therefore, I would like to suggest a small wedding of close friends and family only." She looked to Marcus to see his reaction.

Marcus first reaction was to frown, showing his frightening teeth, feeling that she was suggesting he was a pauper. While his family was not as wealthy as the Malfoys, they could certainly afford a decent wedding. He couldn't believe she would lie to them like that, just to make him feel bad. Maybe he had underestimated the Gryffindor sense of fair play.

"Miss Bell, one of the differences we are finding between the wizarding and muggle worlds is wedding customs. In the wizarding world, the wizard's family traditionally plans and pays for the wedding, showing that they are celebrating gaining a daughter. Mr. Flint's family will likely plan to uphold that tradition," solicitor number three stated.

Marcus turned to him, shocked. "Of course we would. Why would you even suggest otherwise?"

Katie looked at Marcus, noticing his hurt at her suggestion. "I'm sorry, Flint. I didn't realize there was a cultural difference there. I have only been to a couple of weddings in the wizarding world, and in all of them the brides and their families were actively involved in all the decisions and the funding, even though they occurred at the grooms' families' homes."

It was then that Marcus realized that she hadn't been trying to make him look bad, but had been genuinely concerned as to finances. She really had not met any wizarding society families.

"It's all right, Bell. We are going to have to get used to each other. I think it just struck me how different out experiences have been, and not just because you come from a muggle family. If I seem to be getting mad, remind me to ask why you said something…"

At this, Katie smiled, realizing that he was serious about this, and was actually going to try and make this work. On some level she was quite surprised. Deciding to break the tension, she quipped, "Just don't pull my hair first."

With that, the negotiations got off to a much better start, settling issues like living arrangements and careers with a general air of agreement.

By the time they were finished, it was lunch time, and they decided to go together to the Leaky Cauldron to continue to get to know one another.

Stopping at the receptionist desk, they turned to Sarah to inquire about their friends and if they had finished yet.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to know if Hermione Granger is finished yet?" Katie asked Sarah.

"The last word was that they had almost finished negotiations," Sarah answered.

"Would you like to wait for them, Bell?" Marcus asked Katie.

"Them? I guess so. I'd like to wait for Hermione. Wait. You know who petitioned for Hermione, don't you?"

Marcus was at a loss. "Ah… yes. Let's go up to the atrium and wait for them. Would you please tell them we are there?" He asked, turning to Sarah.

"Yes, Mr. Flint. I would be happy to."

Marcus offered Katie his arm and began walking towards the elevators to the main floor.

"Flint, who petitioned for Hermione?" Katie asked as soon as they were on one of the elevators heading up.

"Draco Malfoy." His answer was quiet.

Katie was stunned the rest of the way to the atrium, and the two of them waited in silence for their respective friends.

* * *

Back in Room Six

* * *

Once he had her seated in her chair, Draco revived Hermione and one of the solicitors handed her a glass of water.

"Are you all right, Miss Granger?" one of the solicitors asked her, clearly concerned.

"I will be in a moment, I suppose. Just shocked." She turned to Draco, "Why did you petition for me? I mean, of all the unlikely couples, we have to be the MOST unlikely."

"Miss Granger, the Ministry approved the petition because we felt the combination of you and Mr. Malfoy was quite advantageous. You are both quite intelligent, but with different areas of competency."

"Yes, yes, I understand that, we'll have brilliant children… blah, blah… but still. I mean, he has tried to kill me and my friends before. Several of them. Ron Weasley and Katie Bell both almost died in his sixth year because of activities. Several of my friends died the same night as Dumbledore because Malfoy let Death Eaters into the castle. I know Malfoy here was pardoned because of the circumstances… but that was an official pardon. As was mine. For extenuating circumstances. That doesn't bring back the people we killed, or the hatred the killing engendered for each other. His father did kill my entire family. I killed his father. Don't you think there's enough enmity there to make a successful marriage… unlikely in the extreme?"

"Gods, and to think I had thought you might have grown up! Are you really THAT stuck in the past? People CHANGE! I've changed! But are you and your stuck-up, high and mighty, goody-two-shoes Gryffindor friends willing to let me show you that? NO! Well, Granger, I have news for you. Sometimes people get forced into situations that they don't like, they don't choose, and can't see a way out of. I can't speak for my father, but what I did, I did because I had to! My mother's life was on the line!" Draco's usually pale complexion was mottled with rage.

Seeing him like that, all of his normal Slytherinesque-control gone, Hermione had an epiphany.

"Do you even hear yourself?" she asked. "People forced into situations they don't like, or choose, and can't get out of? Kind of like this one, isn't it? At least, for me. You say you've changed? That's great. I'm happy for you, really I am. But don't expect me to take your word for it after the history we have together. You are going to have to show me that you're not the snotty, pureblood-supremacist, hater of all things Gryffindor that I knew for all my time at Hogwarts!"

At this the solicitors paled, apparently they had not realized the extent of the couples history together. Their heads bounced between the two young people like spectators at a ping-pong match.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, perhaps the best place to start is reading through the basic contract?"

Both Draco and Hermione looked at the solicitor in shock, remembering that they were not alone. Hermione snatched the contract from his fingers and read it quickly but carefully. She was surprised at how liberal is seemed, at least for wizards. There were a few things she wanted to include, but overall, it was fair enough. In several places she suspected Arthur's work, his fascination with all things Muggle coming through.

Draco was similarly surprised at the contents, though not as pleasantly as Hermione. Still, it seemed the Ministry realized that on some level the muggle-born half of the couple was entering the marriage with less power and had attempted in the contract to even it out a bit. Given the witch he had chosen, that was probably not a bad thing.

Draco felt that he really had changed. He didn't much like the idea of marriage to a Mudblood, but it didn't repulse him the way it would have at one time. Marriage to Granger actually was more and more appealing. He had never dated a girl who stood up to him. It was one of the things he found irritating in the girls after a while. Even the constant desire to please can get boring.

After several hours of negotiating, especially on the wedding and future careers, both Draco and Hermione signed the contract, much to the relief of the solicitors.

"Well, Granger, I'm starving. Maybe you would like to have lunch with me? We should probably spend some time together before you meet my mother."

With a sigh, Hermione considered whether she had an appetite after her morning ordeal, and whether what little appetite she did have would be spoiled by sharing a meal with Malfoy. Realizing that she would eventually have to get used to him, she decided to buck up the Gryffindor courage and go for it.

"All right."

Draco headed to the door to hold it open for Hermione, showing that he did have some manners, even if they had been lacking in his dealings with her in the past.

As they left their negotiating room, Hermione noticed Sarah calling them.

"Hermione, Katie is waiting for you in the atrium."

Hermione just nodded to show she understood and allowed Draco to lead the way to the elevators.

Arriving on the main floor, Hermione saw Katie sitting by the fountain with someone who looked vaguely familiar. Taking a closer look, Hermione realized why. Shocked, she stopped before heading directly to her friend.

Katie looked up and saw Hermione and Draco, tilting her head at Marcus. Marcus stood and offered Katie a hand, which she took, much to Hermione's and Draco's surprise.

"We were just about to have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron and would like you to join us," Marcus stated, smiling at Katie.

"All right," Draco conceded. "Hermione?"

Hermione just nodded her agreement.

The two unlikely couples walked out of the Ministry building together, realizing that their lives were forever changed.

* * *

A/N: Please review. They're what keep me writing!


	4. Chapter 4

It was just past the lunch rush when the two couples arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and took a booth near the back. The couples slid onto the benches next to their soon to be spouses. Marcus and Katie seemed quite calm, but the tension between Draco and Hermione was thick enough to cut.

Tom came over to the booth to take their order, but stopped short at the unlikely combination of people at the table.

Noticing his hesitation, Katie turned a broad smile to Tom. "Hi, Tom. We're all famished. It's been quite a morning," she said brightly.

Confused, his eyes shot between the two witches, both of whom he had known for years, their families using his pub as a meeting place ever since the girls had begun their first foray into the wizarding world. Over the years, he had come to look on them as family of sorts. They had both spent lots of time in his establishment with their assorted friends from Gryffindor.

While he knew both of the young men at the table, he didn't know them as well. They only came to his establishment when they wanted a rowdy night out in places their parents seldom frequented. They were certainly not the normal company of the likes of Katie and Hermione.

"Right you are then, Katie. So, what can I get for you four?" he asked.

"Hm… you wouldn't happen to have fish and chips today, would you? For some reason, I've been craving fish and chips all week…" Hermione answered his question, drawing his attention to her.

Very few wizarding establishments ever carried such patently Muggle fare as fish and chips. Tom, though, had learned over his years straddling one of the doorways between the two worlds that Muggle food would sell well for families of mixed heritage, traveling back and forth. It was because of this that he made an attempt to supply them with some varieties of Muggle-fare.

"Indeed I do."

"All right. With a stout, please."

Tom raised an eyebrow, but nodded. He knew Hermione seldom indulged in anything stronger than a butterbeer.

"Oh… that sounds good! I'll have the same," Katie said with a grin.

Tom couldn't help but smile. "Easily done for two of my favorite Gryffindors."

At this, he turned to look at the boys. "And for you gentlemen?"

Marcus looked at Katie. For all that he considered himself worldly he had never had fish and chips. But seeing the look of anticipation on her face, he decided to give it a try, too.

"Same for me, Tom."

At this, Tom's eyebrow went up. Marcus had been his customer on numerous occasions, including the previous evening. Marcus was the opposite of the girls, generally ordering Ogden's Premium Firewhisky, rather than food. After a moment of consideration, he nodded and turned to face Draco.

Draco had never eaten at the Leaky Cauldron, and he had certainly never had such plebian fare as fish and chips. But he was still smarting from Hermione's comments at the Ministry about his snobbishness, and he decided if Marcus could choke down Muggle food, so could he.

"What the hell. Me, too."

"Right, then. Stout and Fish 'n Chips, all around." Tom turned to head into the kitchen, leaving the youngsters to their thoughts. He couldn't help but ponder the strange mix of people at that table. Or how incredibly quiet they were, all lost in their thoughts…

Hermione and Katie didn't usually drink anything so strong as stout, having learned long ago not to let anything dull the senses when one lived with the Weasley twins. But after her morning, Hermione had decided she needed something stronger than a butterbeer to take the edge off her nerves. Sitting next to Draco was certainly not giving her a respite.

The shock of learning that Draco was to be her husband had been so great, she knew she hadn't come to terms with it yet. She was not pleased, not in the least. She was, however, slightly curious as to why he had petitioned for her of all people. She had the feeling that some very tense moments were coming her way, and she should do her best to relax while she still could, in public, where he wouldn't dare to try and curse her in front of Katie or Tom.

Katie was actually feeling pretty good, considering how the morning had started. She had been utterly shocked to see Marcus Flint waiting for her on the other side of that door, but she was honest enough with herself to admit she wasn't too terribly disappointed, a secret she decided she would take to her grave. While she wouldn't say she had fancied him back at Hogwarts, he had always fascinated her. He had perfected the Slytherin bad boy image, and while she hadn't felt any desire to test it herself being completely content with Oliver; she had certainly been far from immune to the overall appeal.

If anything, that was her concern. The thing she wanted to address with him as soon as possible. What had hurt her perhaps the most about Oliver's betrayal had been the promises he had made to her, whispered into her ears as they lay in bed together. Flint was well known as a Quidditch playboy, he had the complete opposite public image of Oliver. If Oliver could have brought another witch into their bed, what then could Flint do?

But then, she had loved Oliver. She didn't love Flint. Would she care if decided to play the field?

Yes, she thought. If she were being completely honest with herself, she had to admit that the thought of being married to someone unfaithful was enough to make her sick to her stomach. We definitely need to talk.

Overall, Marcus was quite pleased with the way his day was going. He had known through the Quidditch grapevine that Bell had broken up with Wood, and he had certainly seen Wood with a number of groupies since then, but he had never gotten the full story. Marcus did not have any friends in common with Wood. They had been rivals at Hogwarts, and they stayed rivals as professionals. They didn't even have any friends of friends in common.

Marcus realized how lucky he was going to be to have a witch like Katie. While he had been as pissed as his friends last night talking about the effects the law was having on them, he was well aware this morning that he might end up being one of the lucky ones. Far luckier than he deserved.

Marcus was well aware of his father's activities in regards to the late and unlamented Dark Lord. While his father had never forced him to join and Marcus had never taken the Mark, he was quite well aware that only a few months ago and without the law, he would never have been allowed to marry a witch like Katie, no matter who her political connections were. His father would have seen to that.

What Marcus had kept as a deeply buried secret for a very long time was an abiding interest in Katie Bell.

Marcus couldn't help but snort at his own thought. Interest, indeed. Try unrequited but very strong attraction. Ever since he had seen her in his sixth year a Hogwarts, she had haunted his thoughts. He'd never had her, one of the few witches he had been completely afraid to approach, but he had wanted her for years. And since his last year at Hogwarts, he couldn't help but compare other witches to her, and he always found them lacking. Whether his fantasies about Katie would survive the reality of marriage to her, he could only hope.

Why had he been too afraid to approach the witch, and why had he been so attracted to her? Partly, it had been because she was so firmly attached to Wood, and the rivalry between them was such that he had wanted to take away anything that Wood thought was his. Especially at first.

But equally obvious to Marcus was that Katie was everything the girls in Slytherin, the type of girl he would one day have had an arranged marriage with, were not.

She was good at school, good at Quidditch, and good to her friends. While plenty of the girls his parents had paraded past him since graduation had been intelligent enough, getting sufficient grades at school, most of them focused any brain cells they had on being the type of woman to become a proper blue-blood wife. Absolutely none of them cared about Quidditch. They all cared about being with a famous Quidditch player, though. They liked the limelight, the society pages… but they didn't care about the sport. They couldn't sit and discuss the relative merits of the professional teams and players, of brooms and equipment. They didn't want to talk about the latest developed plays and defensive strategies. And they didn't have friends. Not real ones. Hell, he didn't know if he did, either. But he knew Bell did. He knew that her friends would support her, no matter what. Frankly, he couldn't even begin to guess the kind of security that allowed a person to feel…

As Draco sat waiting for his Muggle-food to come, he couldn't help but wonder what the bloody hell he had gotten himself into. His future wife hated him, his mother hated his future wife, and he hated all his future wife's friends. Well, Katie didn't seem to be too bad, but the Weasleys and Potter were… better not thought of…

He wondered why he'd allowed Marcus to persuade him to petition for her. Well, he was drunk, so that probably had something to do with it. And he was scared, too. He certainly didn't want to go to Azkaban. He remembered what Azkaban had done to his father at the end of his fifth year. But Granger? Could there have been a worse choice for his life? Now that he was sober, he had to wonder if Azkaban wouldn't have been preferable to life with the mud—Muggle-born witch, any Muggle-born but especially that one…

She was nothing like he had ever pictured his future wife to be. She was not rich, or beautiful. She was not from an old family. They had absolutely nothing in common.

She was a Gryffindor.

She was Harry Potter's best friend.

She did feel good in his arms, though… No. He resolutely decided not to think about that. Not now. Fighting with himself to forget how nice she had felt that morning when he'd caught her, mid-swoon, he focused his attention on trying to imagine how the hell he as going to explain this to his mother.

The group around the table had been quiet, lost in their own thoughts as they waited for their food, and so it wasn't long until their food arrived at their table.

Draco took one look at the battered and fried slab of fish sitting next to some greasy fried potato sticks, and had to suppress his gag reflex. Merlin, how could Muggles eat that?

Marcus was watching Draco's face and saw him pale and swallow. Looking down at his plate, Marcus didn't think the food looked all that appealing, either, but he wasn't about to come across to Katie and Hermione as unable to handle it…

Katie looked at Marcus and his hesitation over the food, his resolve to make the best of it clear in his eyes and decided to acknowledge the moment.

Raising her glass, she said, "I propose a toast. To our futures, our lives, our decisions. To the changes we have faced and will face in the future. To our next great adventure, may we meet it bravely," here she looked at Hermione before continuing, "and may we always have the strength and support of the ones we love."

Hermione didn't hesitate before lifting her glass and clinking it with Katie's. She knew that although Katie had offered the toast for them all, she had really been directing it to Hermione. She was well aware that it was Hermione that need support on the next great adventure. The boys were slower in raising their glass, Marcus going along with it before Draco did.

Hermione and Katie were both amused by the boys' reactions to their food, and couldn't help but smile to each other which they quickly covered by digging into their lunches.

It didn't take long before Marcus's hunger overcame his lack of enthusiasm for the Muggle-food. He was quite surprised at how much he liked it once he took his first bite.

"Granger, I have to admit, I'm surprised. It's better than I though," Marcus acknowledged.

"I'm glad you're not completely appalled. You should try it with some vinegar on the chips," Hermione said, passing him a glass bottle after splashing some on her chips.

Marcus decided to go native, and followed suit.

Draco still hadn't touched his food, eying it warily.

"Malfoy, it doesn't bite," Katie told him, noticing.

Draco just grunted, gingerly picking up his fork and taking as small a bit as possible. He was surprised. It tasted much better than it looked. Even so, he decided to keep his relative lack of disgust to himself.

For a while the group ate in relative silence.

"So, Katie, will you be my maid of honor?" Hermione asked, having been thinking ever since the toast what it would be like to go on an adventure without Harry and Ron.

With a mental smirk for herself, Hermione decided that things would only be tenser if she invited Harry and Ron along on this adventure.

"Oh, Hermione, of course I will. And you'll be mine, of course. I suppose we should set dates today. We'll have to be careful in making sure they don't overlap.

"Hm. I hadn't thought about timing yet."

Hermione turned to Draco. "Malfoy, when do you want to do this? We have three months according to the contract. I say we wait as long as possible."

"Whatever," was his only answer. He didn't really know how to feel about Granger's proposal to wait. On the one hand, he wanted to get it over with so he could see how bad his life was going to be. On the other hand, though, he wanted to put it off, too. Give everyone time to get used to it. Especially his mother.

"Flint, I say we get married in six weeks. Can we plan the wedding that quickly? That gives me six weeks to help Hermione after she helps me… We can split the time the Ministry gave us…"

"Sure, Bell. I leave the arrangements to you. And my mother, of course."

"And Molly. She's been like a mother to me, ever since..." her voice faded as she was lost in thought. "I'm sure she'll want to be involved," Katie stopped, unable to finish her original sentence, realizing for the first time that her mother and father wouldn't be able to be at her wedding. Taking a deep breath, she went on, "And Arthur will have to give me away."

Hermione sighed, unwilling to speak for a moment lest she break down in front of Malfoy in tears. She didn't want to let him see how hard it was for her to get married without her mother and father, especially since his father was the one who had made it impossible for them to be there for one of the most important days of her life.

For several moments, silence reigned at the table while the girls got their emotions under control.

Draco noticed the look of deep sadness on Granger's face, but for once didn't want to rub her nose in her misery. He couldn't help but wonder what was happening to him.

"This is not how I pictured my wedding planning," Hermione said after a few moments. She sighed. "I mean no offense to you, Malfoy, but… I'm torn between feeling like I'm marrying my least favorite person in the world and like I'm marrying a complete stranger. You have to admit, this is kind of strange."

"Oh, none taken, Granger," Draco mocked her.

"Well, we don't really know each other."

"I never wanted to know you."

"And yet, you petitioned for my hand in marriage."

Sensing he was at a disadvantage, Draco dropped that line of logic. "So, then, Miss Know-it-all, what do you suggest?"

"Maybe we should go out."

"I don't exactly want to be seen with you."

"And yet, once again I am forced to point out that you asked for me."

Marcus and Katie just sat across from them and watched the sparks fly. Marcus couldn't help but think that if they ever got past this, the sex would be hot.

"Well, Bell and I are in almost the same situation, minus the hatred and the embarrassment of being seen together. At least on my part," he amended, looking at Katie.

She just smirked at him. It was a very Slytherin look on her normally sweet face, and he found it quite appealing.

"What do you say, Bell, how about a night on the town."

"I don't know," Katie hesitated.

"Come on, it's a weekend. Let's go out. What do you like to do for fun?"

"Well," she answered, glancing at Hermione, "we haven't been to the Pit in ages. Not since New Year's Eve. What do you say, Hermione. You up for an adventure?"

Hermione considered for a moment. "Sure. That might suit all our purposes. A night out on the Muggle town."

"Muggle town?" Draco asked. "Am I expected to go on this adventure?"

"Yes," Marcus answered him before Hermione could. "It will be fun, and you don't have to worry about being seen with your fiancée."

For a moment, Hermione looked hurt. "Am I going to be your dirt little secret, Malfoy?"

"Well, you're already dirty, aren't you?"

The words were hardly out of his mouth before two wands were pointing strait at him. Surprisingly, neither was Hermione's. Strangely, it wasn't the wands that made him wish he could take back the hastily said words. Funny, saying things like that to Granger was a habit after all the years they had flung insults at each other.

"I think you should apologize to your fiancée, Draco," Marcus informed him.

"I…" he trailed off, looking straight in Marcus's moss green eyes. Hesitantly, he turned to Hermione, "Granger… I…" he was disconcerted to see her eyes full of tears. She was fighting to keep them from spilling down her cheeks, but they were there.

Something in Draco's heart melted seeing the pain he'd caused her, but he didn't want to appear weak. He didn't want it to show.

"Granger, I've never been to a Muggle club before," he started, although his words were interrupted by an inarticulate growl from the other Slytherin. "Granger, I," fighting with himself, Draco looked into Hermione's eyes. Once again he tried, "Granger, I'm sorry." Draco stopped, amazed that he had managed to get the words out once and for all. He didn't realize how hard it would be to apologize to her, although he had no practice. But as alien as the words were to him, he realized that the real problem was that he had so much to apologize to her for, the words seemed inadequate.

Hermione, while not in a league with Snape, was a capable enough Legilimens to be well aware that Malfoy's apology was real. She had some understanding of the inner battle he was fighting.

"I accept, Malfoy. In fact, I apologize, too. I… well, I haven't exactly been going out of my way, either."

"So," Katie broke in before the other couple went too far and said something to screw up their uneasy truce, "tonight, Hermione and I will take the two of you on a typical Muggle date."

"Dinner and a movie?" Hermione asked, trying to decide what kind of movie the four of them might possibly be able to agree on.

"Movie?" asked Draco. "What the hell's a movie?"

Katie looked at him, wondering how you explain Muggle cinema to someone who had no concept… "Well," she started, "it's a kind of a movie picture that tells a story. Usually a fictional story. Um… like a play, but in a picture. Oh, God, how to explain?"

"A play in a picture?" Marcus asked, intrigued.

"Ah, yeah. But there are lots of different kinds. Some of them are fantasy and show how Muggles imagine magical worlds to be. Some of them are horror movies, they can be scary. Some of them are historical. Some are funny; there are lots of different kinds of comedies. Um, some of them are drawings that move and talk, we call them cartoons. Of course, I don't know what's current. I haven't been to a movie in ages," Hermione answered him.

"A typical Muggle date is to go out to dinner, and then go to a movie. Sometimes, people go out after the movie for drinks or to go dancing. I say we play it by ear."

"Sounds good to me," Marcus said. He turned to look at Draco. "What do you say? Shall we take our witches on a Muggle date?"

Draco just shrugged his acquiescence.

"You are not taking us anywhere. We are the ones familiar with the Muggle world. We will be taking you on this date. Do you trust us?" Hermione asked, sharing a grin with Katie.

Marcus and Draco looked at each other. "We had to petition for Gryffindors, didn't we?" Draco asked his friend.

"Apparently, we did. Yes, Granger, we'll trust you," Marcus said, grinning back at the bushy-haired witch.

"All right, then. I'm done here," she said, looking at her plate. "Let's say we meet back here at seven this evening. We will take you to dinner and a movie and then go dancing."

"Yes, ma'am," Marcus said, still grinning.

"Ah, Granger, what should we wear?" Draco asked.

"Do you have Muggle clothing? Jeans?"

Marcus rolled his eyes. "We do know how to go Muggle, you know. We have passed before."

"All right, then," Katie cut in, "make sure you'll pass tonight, and we'll see you at seven."

They stood up from the table, the boys threw down some galleons to pay for their lunches, and the four of them left the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

**A/N: Let me know what kind of movie you think our friends would enjoy... please review...**  



	5. Chapter 5

Hermione and Katie Apparated back to the Burrow.

"Gods, I'm so tired," Katie said, her voice quiet.

"Me, too. Do you think we can get through the afternoon without having to talk to anyone?" Hermione asked her friend.

"What do you think?" Katie shot back, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I doubt we'll be that lucky."

Walking through the door, Katie and Hermione found most of the Weasley family sitting around the table, including Harry and the assorted wives, eating a very quiet lunch.

As soon as their adopted family noticed the girls' return, the questions began to fly.

Finally, one voice rose above the others. "Well?" Molly asked.

"I'd really rather not talk about it." Hermione answered.

"Hermione, you have to tell us," Harry said, looking at his pale friend as calmly as he could. "It's not like it's something you can keep secret for long. They'll be publishing it in the Prophet tomorrow. They always do. So… who petitioned for you."

Katie noticed Fred and George sitting with Angie and Allie. They were pinning her with their eyes, not going to let her get out of telling them. Katie was surprised at how calm she was. Now that her fate had been decided, she wasn't going to let it get to her.

Hermione, however, was not taking well to being grilled by her friends.

"Fine, Harry. You really want to know? All of you? Is that why you are all sitting here, waiting to pounce on us? You really want to remind us how completely out of control we are of our own lives? Fine." Her voice dropping with her anger until it was hard to hear. "I'm marrying Draco Fucking Malfoy. Happy now?"

"WHAT!" Harry was clearly shocked and angry now. "You can't marry that prat!"

"God damn it, Harry! I DON'T HAVE A CHOICE!" Hermione was flushed now. She had known that Harry would take it like this. She was only surprised that Ron wasn't right there with him.

"Do you think this is what I WANT? Do you? I promise you, I don't. When I pictured my wedding, I didn't picture it three months from today, and it never included becoming a breeder of albino ferrets. EVER. Do you THINK I want to marry the son of the bastard who KILLED MY PARENTS!"

And with that Hermione slammed her way out of the kitchen.

Quickly, Harry got up to follow her, either to continue the argument or to apologize, even he was unsure.

Before he could get through the door, though, Katie stopped him.

"Let me. I don't think she really wants to see you right now."

Katie began moving towards the door when she heard a throat being cleared. It sounded almost like Umbridge, a sound that made her shiver, even after all this time.

Slowly, she turned back to her friends. "Yes?"

"Katie… you still haven't told us who petitioned for you," her friend Allie said.

"I know."

"Well? Katie, I promise no one will yell at you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, even if I'm not the one who deserves to be yelled at. After all, neither Hermione nor I had anything to do with these petitions. But you're right, there's no point in not telling you. I'm marrying Marcus Flint in six weeks."

And with that, she turned and followed Hermione out the door.

"Hermione," Katie called from outside the door to the bedroom they shared. I'm coming in. Alone. Please don't hex me."

With that, Katie pushed open the door and went in.

Hermione looked at her, still giggling as the tears pouring down her face.

"I have to admit, it felt good to yell at Harry."

"He deserved it. He needs to realize you can take care of yourself. Otherwise, he's only going to make this harder."

"Hmmm. I just can't figure out what Malfoy was thinking. I mean, we really do have seven years of mutual antagonism. Why the bloody hell did he petition for me?"

"We have something else to worry about. What are we going to do with Flint and Malfoy tonight?'

"Well… I was thinking we take them out for a nice dinner, then to the super-plex and show them the joys of popcorn and a coke. We can't pick a movie until we see what's playing. Then we'll go out dancing at the Pit. I am looking forward to the dancing. I wonder if they have ever been to a club like that. I don't think too many purebloods would have had that experience, and I've never seen a discothèque in the wizarding world…"

"All right. Where shall we go for dinner?"

"How about that new place, Lightening?"

"You mean that trendy fusion restaurant that just opened?"

"Yeah. It'll be interesting to see their reaction to such a creative Muggle restaurant. You saw their faces at the thought of Muggle food earlier."

"If we're going to Lightening, we'll need reservations."

"Hmmm, true. All right. I say we go all out. I need to get out of here and forget for a while anyway. Let's go into London and make reservations, and spend a day shopping and having some fun. I want some new clothing for tonight, and to get my hair and make-up done. I want to knock Malfoy's socks off."

"Sounds like a good idea." Katie could see that Hermione wanted to show Malfoy he was getting more than he bargained for with her. Katie couldn't help but feel the same way about Flint. "Wash your face, Hermione. It's obvious you've been crying. I'll wait for you downstairs."

Hermione just nodded and went into the bathroom to clean up.

Back in the kitchen, the Weasley family was much more subdued than normal.

Katie walked into the room and took her normal seat.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked.

"She's coming. And then we're leaving."

"Leaving?" Molly asked, looking stricken.

"Yes. We're going to London for the day. We're going shopping and to get our hair done before our date tonight with our future husbands."

"You're going out with Malfoy and Flint tonight?" Fred asked. Ron and Harry were turning red listening to the conversation, whether from anger or helplessness, Katie didn't know or particularly care.

"Yes."

"We're coming, then," Harry said.

"You most certainly are not." No one had noticed Hermione enter the room, so her response surprised them.

"Yes, we are," Harry replied.

"Harry, in case you haven't noticed, I am an adult. I am going to have to marry him, Harry. You can't be with me and protect me from him forever. Are you going to come every time we go out? We have to get to know each other. Are you going to come into our room on our wedding night and watch while I'm forced to give the ferret my virginity? Can you protect me from that? Because I don't think you can. So you may as well NOT start trying now. Besides, I don't need your protection. In case you don't remember, I am quite capable of defending myself. I certainly don't need you to come along and antagonize us." And with that, Hermione walked out the door.

"Someday, Harry, you're going to have to learn to think before you say something stupid. I thought she was your friend." Shaking her head, Katie followed Hermione.

On the porch, she turned to her friend, seeing Hermione once again shaking. "Ready?"

Hermione just nodded and Apparated away.

* * *

They arrived in London at the Apparition point by the Leaky Cauldron. They walked back into the pub where they had lunch earlier that day to see Tom looking at them with a concerned look on his features.

Quickly, he hurried over to them.

"Hermione, Katie, I know it's not really my business, but I was wondering why you were with those two Slytherins today?"

Katie looked into his earnest eyes, seeing the concern for the girls he'd watched grow up.

"Because we're marrying them," Katie answered his question. "We found out today. They petitioned for us under the Ministry's marriage law."

Tom was shocked. It had never occurred to him.

"Oh, girls, I'm so sorry."

"Tom, you neither work for the Ministry nor did you petition for us, so it's really not your fault." Hermione's voice sounded tired.

"Well, if there's anything I can do…" his voice trailed off.

"No, Tom. We'll be fine. We're actually on our way through to the Muggle side, but we'll be back tonight."

And with that, they stepped through the door to find ourselves once again in the Muggle world.

The girls went to Lightening first. It didn't take long to make reservations for that night. The restaurant was trendy and quite busy, but they still had a few tables available for half past seven.

Leaving, they wandered down the fashionable street to a Muggle shopping mall.

On the first floor, they found a day spa that had stylists available that afternoon. It wasn't long before the girls were seated in chairs having their hair washed. Hermione was subjected to a deep conditioning treatment that she had never bothered with before. She was therefore surprised to find that her hair seemed much less tangled after the treatment.

They were moved to have their split ends trimmed before the stylists worked their own kind of magic on the girls' long tresses.

Katie's hair was fairly easy to deal with, falling as it usually did in long, blond waves. The stylist just put in on some large rollers to give it more bounce.

Hermione's stylist had more work to do. She usually didn't bother to do anything but wash and brush it. As her hair dried, Hermione realized the treatment and the trim had made a big difference in her hair's texture. It fell in fairly springy curls, which the stylist used some florally scented product to encourage the formation of.

Hair managed, the girls went to a different technician to have both manicures and pedicures.

Neither of the girls usually bothered with that kind of pampering, so it was quite a treat for them.

After their hands and feet were soft, the nails buffed and polished and their cuticles trimmed, they were taken to yet another station to have their make-up applied.

Hermione generally didn't bother with anything but lip gloss, and that only because she tended to bite her lower lip and it helped in keeping it from bleeding. Katie also didn't usually bother, having always been something of a tomboy.

They were therefore quite surprised at the transformation in their appearance after that final station. The stylist was really an artist, making their eyes seem large, their lashes long, and their lips fuller without making them look like whores, at least in Katie's opinion.

Several hours later, the girls left the salon feeling pampered and beautiful.

Heading deeper into the mall, they quickly found a store that catered to the fashion conscious. In the middle of the afternoon during the work week, the girls received an obscene amount of attention from the sales staff, and it didn't take long for them to find the perfect outfits.

The staff worked from the skin out, beginning with new lingerie. Hermione made the mistake of admitting she had never had silk knickers before, and that she hadn't been properly fitted for a bra in years.

The sales girl encouraged her to try on several styles of bras to find one which was both comfortable and would give her the best cleavage. She also explained that having a good bra was important, because it would affect the fit of the rest of her layers of clothing.

It made sense to Hermione and she was surprised to find that a sexy black silk and lace bra pushed her smallish breasts up until she had some real cleavage for the first time in her life.

The bra matched a sexy thong that shocked Hermione, since she didn't see how it would be at all comfortable.

She was about to insist on the sales girl finding something else for her to wear, but Molly's words from that morning came back to her, reminding her that clothing was armor, and she decided that if she had on sexy clothing, she would feel much more confident. So, without further hesitation she put on the thong.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she had to admit she looked pretty good, and smiled at herself.

Katie was getting similar treatment, her lack of "proper" undergarments appalling to the sales staff. Of course, the staff had a very different definition of "proper" than what she was used to in the wizarding world.

Katie found herself in an emerald green silk bra and matching thong. While it wasn't a color she would normally pick for herself, she realized Flint would probably appreciate it, so she decided to go with it.

Both girls were handed black silk stockings with lace tops that stayed up without garters.

For their next layer, the staff brought them an assortment of shirts that were tight and low-cut, showing off the rise of their breasts, dropping low over their cleavage.

With a giggle, Hermione found one that was a soft maroon, bringing warm red highlights to her hair. It was like a second skin, showing off her recently found shape, with short fluttery sleeves that made her feel feminine.

Katie was given a black silk camisole that also hugged her curves and left her arms bare, and was accented with some rhinestones around the sweetheart neckline.

Hermione was put in tight black pants that clung low on her hips and flared towards the bottom that were made from soft stretchy velveteen. She was surprised at how comfortable she was, given that she had never looked so sexy in her life.

Katie slipped into a pair of jeans that were also low cut, showing her navel and held up by a belt with a large rhinestone buckle. Apparently, the jeans had just enough lycra in them to move with her, even though they were almost obscene, they were so tight.

Stepping from the dressing room, the sales staff squealed at the transformation of the witches in their new clothes.

"How tall are your gents?" the sales girl asked Katie.

"Tall. Both of them."

"All right, then. Heels it is. Come on over to the shoe area."

Neither Hermione nor Katie had worn heels much. They both found them uncomfortable and difficult to walk in. But seeing themselves in the full length mirror, they both realized that the shoes were necessary to complete the look.

Katie was quickly squeezed into a pair of three inch heels covered in black silk that were adorned, like much of her outfit, in rhinestones.

Hermione was harder to find shoes for. Black heels were a given, but she wanted some that she could walk in, deciding that she didn't have time to master the graceful glide she admired in the sales staff. She absolutely refused to wear something that would make her totter.

Finally, she found a pair that added two and a half inches to her height. They were uncomfortable and completely unpadded, but she decided she could fix that later with her wand. After all, she was a witch.

The staff didn't stop until the witches were fully accessorized with purses and jewelry, delicate shawls covering their shoulders.

The girls decided to purchase some additional clothing so that they wouldn't have to repeat the trip, realizing that now that they knew what looked good, it would be easier to get some additional items.

Felling better than they had all day, the two women strolled out of the store and slowly headed into the ladies room where they Shrank their old clothing and additional purchases and stowed it in their purses.

Checking her watch, Hermione realized that they had about an hour until they were to meet their future spouses. Pointing this out to Katie, they decided to head back to the Leaky Cauldron and have a glass of wine while they waited.

* * *

Marcus had left the pub earlier and Apparated home, where he was immediately met by his mother.

"Well," she said, "how did it go?"

"Mother, I am well aware that what you really want to know is when is the wedding? Six weeks from tomorrow."

"Six weeks!" she shrieked.

"Yes, Mum, six weeks. Draco is marrying her best friend, too, six weeks later."

"Marcus, how am I supposed to plan a wedding in six weeks?"

"With the help of Katie and Molly, I suppose."

"Who?"

"Katie, my bride to be, and her adoptive-of-a-sort mother, Molly Weasley."

"Oh."

"Marcus," his father's voice called out from the library, "come in here, please."

Walking away from his mother, Marcus went towards his father's voice.

"Marcus, I have been thinking this morning. While I would have preferred that you were not marrying a Mudblood, I have decided to make the best of it. I would like you to invite your bride-to-be to dinner tomorrow evening. I would like to meet her for myself, and I'm sure your mother would also like to meet her to discuss wedding plans. I heard you tell your mother six weeks. I assume you will be living here at the manor with her?"

"We haven't talked about it yet, but I would assume so."

Nodding, his father looked Marcus in the eye. "Marcus, I am sorry that I didn't arrange a marriage for you before this law was passed, when you could have married someone worthy, but if you think you can make it work with her, so be it."

"Father, I am going out with her tonight, so that we can get to know each other, so if you don't mind, I'd like to go to my room and nap."

His father didn't say anything, just waived his hand in dismissal.

Marcus quietly trudged up the stairs. He was pissed at his father, but didn't want to show it, lest there be consequences. He hated that he didn't stand up to his father over Katie. He'd wanted to hit the old man when he called her a Mudblood, his remark about a worthy wife even worse.

Throwing open the door to his room, Marcus toed off his boots and shrugged off his clothing before flopping nude onto his bed, thinking of the witch that would soon be his wife.

His father may not think Katie worthy, but Marcus realized he had wanted her for years. As the realization slowly sank in that she would soon be his, Marcus couldn't help but grin at how lucky he was.

Happy for the first time in a long time, Marcus fell asleep, dreaming of finally having Katie Bell all to himself.

He woke up an hour before they were to meet at the Leaky Cauldron. He decided to shower and shave before getting dressed. Like most men, it didn't take him long to get ready.

He dressed in a pair of Muggle jeans that were snug, showing off his attributes to their best advantage. At least, that was what he had been told.

Marcus knew he wasn't a handsome man by traditional standards, but he also knew that most witches found him sexy in that muscular, bad-boy way…

His outfit was finished with a button-down shirt, leaving the top button undone to show off his physique.

Checking himself in the mirror, he decided it was enough and headed out to the Apparition Room in the manor.

Moments later, he was at the Leaky Cauldron looking around for Draco and the girls.

* * *

Marcus's mother may have been excited with the prospect of planning a wedding, but Narcissa Malfoy was not.

Or rather, not the wedding of her son to that Mudblood, the bitch who had killed her beautiful Lucius.

Oh, she knew the whole story, she had read the testimony. She was well aware of the "circumstances" that had led the seventeen year old to slay him.

And sometimes, in the dark of night, she felt she owed the girl quite a debt.

Life had never been easy with Lucius. He was an egotistical bastard, often cruel, rarely kind.

But he had been hers. Her safety net. Lucius could get out of anything, and he always protected what was his. That included his wife and child.

Of course, sometimes it was Lucius they needed to be protected from.

But still.

Draco had returned home and found his mother brooding in the library.

"Well?" she asked sharply.

Draco sighed. "What did you want to know?"

"How did it go?"

"The wedding is in three months. She's very unhappy that she will be Hermione Malfoy. Apparently, the Ministry does not tell the witch who sent the petition until they enter the room, so she had no idea who was waiting for her. It was quite a sight, actually."

Narcissa was almost pleased that her son had managed to upset the Granger girl.

"I suppose you will be soiling these halls then with her filthy self."

"Mother, I am going to bring her to lunch tomorrow to meet you. I want you to be polite to her. She is going to be my wife, she is going to be living here, and she is going to be the mother of your grandchildren. I suggest you not antagonize her. I can speak from experience on that."

"Draco, you cannot expect me to play hostess to my husband's murderer."

"Yes, Mother, that is exactly what I expect. I am now the Head of this family, you will do what I say."

Narcissa looked at her son, for the first time seeing him as an adult, as a younger version of her late husband. As a threat.

Wizarding society was very patriarchal. Draco was completely correct. If Narcissa did not respect his wishes, she could well find herself cut off. And she no longer had any Black relatives she could turn to. She doubted Andromeda would be happy to see her, much less take her in.

Pinching her lips together in an effort to keep from saying something she wasn't sure she would mean, she rose from her chair and stalked through the door to her room.

Draco sat at the table and put his head in his hands.

It was bad enough he was marrying Granger, who hated him. He didn't want to fight with his mother.

Thinking back over his conversation with his mother, he was struck by the simple fact that he was the Head of the Family. She would have to obey him. It was something to think about…

With a sigh, Draco went to his room, which had been moved to the Master's Wing of the Manor.

He decided to rest, since he had no idea what Bell and Granger were going to have planned for them that night…

He awoke with a start at quarter after six. Realizing he needed to hurry, he quickly went into his bathroom to use a shaving charm and brush his teeth.

Coming back into his bedroom, he dressed in black trousers and a dark silver silk shirt. The color of the shirt matched his eyes perfectly. He would normally add a layer of robes over it, but he was supposed to be going Muggle, tonight. Draco decided he looked good enough.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he practiced his smirk before Apparating away to the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

After Hermione and Katie had arrived, several wizards had offered to get them drinks, all of which they had declined. Deciding that the best option was to remove themselves from everyone line of sight, the two witches found a table for two in a dark back corner of the pub. They could see most of the people coming and going, but they were nearly invisible in their corner. Hermione helped that along with a charm to keep people from noticing them. It didn't make them invisible, but it made them unobtrusive…

And so it was that they saw Marcus arrive. He quickly looked around, and not seeing any of the three people he was meeting, took a stool at the bar and ordered a shot.

Katie considered him, looking at how he filled out his clothing, and admitted to herself that while he wasn't classically handsome like Oliver was, he certainly had an appeal. In fact, in his muggle clothing and with his back to them so his frightening teeth were unapparent, he cut quite the figure. His current clothing really showed off his exquisite back. If she were being honest with herself, Katie would admit that he made her hot…

Something else was making her hot, too. Marcus had no sooner gotten his drink than a witch sauntered up to him, lightly trailing her fingers in his collar. He didn't turn around, so Katie couldn't see his reaction.

Hermione couldn't help but see Katie's though. For the first time since this morning when the fiasco started, she was more concerned for her friend. She didn't think Katie could stand to be married to a philandering arse. Not after Oliver. With a sigh, she turned her attention back to Flint.

Marcus was surprised when he felt gentle fingers trailing down his neck, the witch asking if he was going to invite her to join him or not. It wasn't Katie.

Hermione and Katie were surprised and pleased when he turned to the witch with a scowl on his face and loudly told her to bugger off, flinging her hand away from him.

Moments later, Draco arrived. He quickly saw Marcus, alone at the bar, but scanning the crowd, didn't see their future wives. Checking the clock, he realized he was right on time, so the witches must have decided to be fashionably late. He wasn't disturbed by this; his mother was never on time for social events.

He decided to grab the empty stool next to Marcus and join him in a drink while they waited.

Moving as though he owned the place, Draco moved to the bar and took a seat next to his friend.

Malfoy's arrival had not gone unnoticed by the witches in the corner either. Hermione was forced to admit, if only to her, that he was damned hot. Getting her reaction under control, she turned to her friend.

"Shall we join them before or after they become inebriated?"

"Before," Katie answered quickly, seeing Tom pour a shot for each of them.

They stood and glided over to the boys, their outfits attracting quite a bit of attention in the now crowded watering-hole.

Reaching the boys before they picked up their shot glasses, the girls reached around their wizards, lifting the glasses in unison and downing the drinks before the boys could even respond.

Quickly, the boys turned to see who had appropriated their drinks.

Draco was speechless at the alteration in Granger. When he had been considering petitioning for her, he had considered her appearance acceptable. Standing before him now, she was transformed. Granted, she was dressed as a Muggle, but if people saw her like this, she'd begin a whole new fashion trend in the wizarding world.

The shapeless robes she normally wore hid a body that Draco found himself appreciating. Her breasts were smallish, not quite enough to fill a hand, but these clothes lifted them appealingly towards his eyes. Her clothing clung to her, leaving little to the imagination. She seemed taller than he remembered, as she looked into his eyes with a challenge, a slight smirk on her face, confident in a way he hadn't seen her ever before, not even in school when she was sure she knew the answer.

Her hair, usually so bushy, looked soft and was curlier than usual, her skinned glowed, her lips seemed full for a change since they weren't currently pinched in their normal scowl around him.

Draco had to remind himself to breathe, as he looked at the witch in front of him.

Marcus was finding himself at a similar loss.

He had always considered Katie attractive, but the witch before his was stunning.

She glowed, the silk of her blouse looking harsh compared to her skin. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she watched him rake his gaze over her body, stopping at the rhinestone belt buckle just below her navel. She could see him flush as he studied her, swallowing hard. His tight jeans did little to hide his reaction, and she felt a surge of power.

"Shall we?" she purred.

The boys quickly rose, remembering their manners, and tossed some money on the bar.

Marcus quickly offered his arm to Katie, which she accepted. Both were surprised at the electric jolt that passed through them when they touched. Katie recovered quickly shooting him a grin.

Seeing their interaction, Draco cleared his throat. Turning his attention back to Hermione, he looked her in the eye, clearly steeling himself for a blow to his pride, or maybe a slap such as she had delivered back in their third year. He couldn't believe how nervous he was.

"Ah, Granger," he hesitated, then, seeing her looking at him curiously, he offered her his arm as Marcus had done.

For a moment, she stood there, studying him, looking for a trap. Finally, remembering her words to Harry, that she was an adult and didn't have much choice in the matter, she accepted his arm and allowed him to escort her after their friends.

Once out on the sidewalk, Katie said, "We need to walk quickly to reach our destination in time for our reservations. Follow me," and she was off, making Marcus stretch his legs to keep up with her. Hermione tried to follow, but was unused to walking in heels, and had a bit of trouble.

Once, she stumbled, Draco's arm quickly going around her waist to catch her before she could fall, her breasts pressing into his arm. It was then he noticed that she really did seem to be taller. Looking down at her feet, he noticed the heels, realizing it hadn't been his imagination after all and finding an explanation for her clumsiness.

"Thanks," she murmured.

He just nodded in response, not trusting himself to talk with his arm full of a beautiful woman and his nose full of her perfume.

"The restaurant's on the next block."

They set off again, hurrying even more to catch up with Marcus and Katie.

Marcus and Katie hadn't noticed the other couple falling behind until the reached the door to Lightening. Turning around and seeing them in voluntary physical contact with each other, Katie couldn't conceal her grin.

Marcus held the door open while they entered the restaurant.

The woman standing at the host stand looked at the couples and smiled. She had been the one to take the reservation earlier, and recognized the two girls. "Bell-Granger for four, correct?" she asked.

"Yes," Hermione answered.

"Right this way, please." She strode off into the restaurant, the couples following in her wake. She put them at a secluded table in the back corner of the restaurant, almost hidden in an alcove. "Your server tonight is Polly; she'll be over in a moment."

Hermione opened her menu. She was well aware of proper manners in the wizarding world, and didn't want to be impolite, but at the same time, tonight was supposed to be showing the pureblooded bigot what it meant to be a muggle.

She quickly scanned the menu, eyes alighting on an Indian/Caribbean/Brazilian dish that sounded strange, but in a good way. After all, she was being adventurous!

Looking up from her menu, she saw a delighted smile on Katie's face and a look of complete confusion on Malfoy's. Flint seemed to be lost in thought. She also noticed Flint's hand was under the table, either in his lap, or in Katie's. She caught his eye and gave him a half-smile. He grinned back.

Hermione was trying not to think about how nice Flint was being. Of course, he was older, further out of school and therefore longer away from house rivalries. People had always said he was a troll in the intelligence department, but after spending part of the day with him, Hermione felt this was a gross injustice. Sure, he wasn't a genius, but he was clearly far from a troll. A curious part of her mind wondered if she'd ever know him well enough to ask why he had failed a year.

She turned her attention to studying Malfoy, noticing the slight crease between his eyebrows as he read the menu. For a moment, she was concerned that he wouldn't like this place, but she quickly felt like she'd betrayed all she stood for in worrying about his feelings, assuming he had any.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she was deeply ashamed. Of course he had feelings, she realized, he just hid them well.

After a few minutes, their waitress arrived, carrying a basket of tortilla chips and a mango chutney salsa, as well as water.

She went through her spiel quickly, telling them the specials of the day and took their orders. As expected, the boys had ordered the most conservative things on the menu, while Katie and Hermione had gone for the most outré.

It didn't take her long to return with some their drinks. Katie had talked Marcus into trying some of the Muggle drinks, and he seemed amused by the umbrella. Hermione was delighted with her coconut rum and pineapple juice and she didn't remember what else drink. Katie had decided on sangria, and Draco had stuck to a beer. He didn't recognize it, but it wasn't too bad.

Their dinner was served promptly, and the presentation was magnificent. It was colorful and smelled wonderful. Even Draco had to admit that the restaurant was doing a good job on presentation.

Conversation over dinner was a bit stilted, but it was much better than lunch had been.

"Katie, my parents would like me to have you over for dinner tomorrow night, so that mother can begin planning the wedding. Would that be all right? Or did you have a previous engagement?"

"Oh, well, uh… I had been planning to go with friends to a Quidditch game tomorrow, but I should be free by dinner."

"Granger, were you planning to go to that game, too? Mother and I thought you could come over for lunch, but we can rearrange it if you already had plans."

"Well, I was planning to go, but mostly as moral support. I can skip if you had made plans for us. Or you could come with us to the game? I believe you do like Quidditch, don't you? You're a male after all?"

"Hey!" Katie shrieked at her friend, though not loud enough to bother the other patrons. "I like Quidditch, and I am most definitely NOT male!"

"Sorry, Katie. It's just that I don't know ANY boys who don't love Quidditch."

"What game are you going to?" Flint asked, alive with curiosity.

"Ah, well, actually, we're going to the Puddlemere United game against the Harpies. Angie and Allie and I have some friends on the Harpies this year, and we decided it would be fun to go and cheer for them. Particularly given who they're playing. We've done what we can to train them to get past the Puddlemere keeper, so we're hoping to see if they learned his secrets. We decided to make a family day of it, we're all going… You are welcome to come it you'd like, although I'd understand if it would make you uncomfortable to be around all the Weasleys… ah, both of you." Katie was completely unable to control the blush that started realizing who she had just invited to a family day with the Weasleys to go watch her ex hopefully get his broomstick handed to him…

"Hmmm, it's a thought. I don't go to games very often," Marcus said, looking at Draco to see his response.

"Sounds fine," Draco was amused at the idea of watching Quidditch with the Weasleys. He could torment Potthead and the Weasel and watch a game with Marcus. Good all the way around…

Hermione glanced at her watch and saw that is was about half past eight. "Let's had over to the theater and see what's playing." She signaled the waitress for their check and quickly handed over a Visa. Marcus and Draco looked at the piece of plastic in confusion, but fortunately didn't say anything until the waitress had left the table.

"Was that Muggle money?" Draco asked her.

"Sort of. It was called a credit card. They use the numbers to put a charge on my account with the back, and then I pay the bill once a month. It's easier than carrying around money."

"Ah," was all the response Draco gave. Hermione couldn't tell if this was because he didn't have a clue or because it made sense to him, but regardless, she decided to ignore it.

The waitress returned quickly, and Hermione signed her copy, leaving a generous tip. Returning her wallet to her purse, she mad to push back from the table.

Draco beat her to it though, and quickly helped her pull her chair out.

"Malfoy, I am perfectly capable of getting up from the table without an assist, you know. I can open doors, too."

"Stuff it, Granger. I am well aware of your capabilities. That doesn't mean that just because the buffoons you have been hanging around for the last decade have no manners, mine have to leave me, too."

"First you say you have manners, and then you call me Granger and tell me to stuff it. Really, Malfoy, make up your mind."

Smiling, she took his proffered arm and let him open the door out of the restaurant. Katie and Marcus followed behind, giggling at each other over the way their friends were running hot and cold.

The theater was only a short walk, and all four enjoyed their stroll in the pleasant evening air.

Arriving at the theater, Hermione and Katie looked through the movies listed. Apparently, this theater showed a collection of current movies and classics, but the later offering tended to be classics. "Hmm, Alien or Gone With the Wind."

"Ah, Hermione, I don't think the boys would much like Gone With the Wind. Let's take them to Alien."

"All right. I suppose it is an appropriate date movie. I've never seen it before."

"Trust me, it'll be great."

Katie walked up to the ticket window. "Four for the nine o'clock showing of Alien, please." She paid for the tickets and led them all into the theater. With a smile at Hermione, she walked over to the concession stand and also got two large popcorns and two cokes.

Handing two of the tickets, along with half the snacks to Hermione, Katie led Marcus into the theater, taking seats for the two of them about half way down the aisle in the middle of the section. Taking the hint that Katie wanted to spend some time just the two of them, Hermione lead Malfoy to the other side of the theater before sitting down approximately the same distance from the screen.

Malfoy looked at her for a moment before sitting in the chair next to her and settling in to watch the movie.

"Now what?" he whispered.

"Now we wait for the movie to start. It should only be a few minutes." She handed him the popcorn and put the coke in the cup holder between them.

"What's that?"

"Snacks for while we watch the movie."

Sitting in silence for a moment, Draco was a bit surprised when the lights went out, but his surprise quickly turned to awe at the picture that was forming on the large screen.

He decided he may just like this movie thing.

On the other side of the theater, Marcus was coming to the same conclusions. Seeing the man in front of them drape an arm around his date's shoulders, Marcus decided if he could get away with it with Katie. Gently, so as not to alarm her, he slid an arm along the back of her chair until her head would rest on his shoulder if she leaned back. He hesitated a moment more, but just as he was beginning to wonder if she was offended, he felt her settle against him. Turning her head to look at him, she gave him a soft smile before turning back to the screen, he felt her relax against him. Smiling to himself, he settled in for the show.

Eventually, the movie became a bit more disturbing. Draco couldn't help but realize that Ripley reminded him a bit of the witch next to him. He could see her taking on aliens to protect the world. Seeing her wince at the action and the death being portrayed on the screen, Draco hesitantly took her small hand in his.

Hermione tore her eyes from the screen to look at the blond next to her, realizing her was studying her intensely. Smiling at him, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Sorry, it just seems so like and unlike the war we just came through. Brought up some bad memories."

He smiled back, but made no move to reclaim his hand.

With that small break in their hostilities, Hermione for the first time thought there might be some hope for their future.

The movie ended, as movies tend to do, and the theater patrons left their seats. Draco took a moment to gather his thoughts after the story was over before getting up to try and find their friends.

Draco noticed Marcus still sitting with his arm around Katie and wondered if he had made some faux pas by not trying to touch Granger more. No, he realized, it was just that Marcus and Katie seemed more comfortable with each other than he did with his fiancée. With a sigh, he offered Granger a hand up, and led her towards the other couple.

"So, do we want to go dancing tonight? Or shall we call it a night and head home?" Hermione asked her companions.

"I'm game if you are," Katie answered.

"I've been looking forward to it all night," Marcus said, his arm still around the blond witch at his side.

"All right, then, lets go to the club."

* * *

The four of them left the theater, and walked towards the Leaky Cauldron. But when they got close, they turned a different corner and headed the opposite direction.

After a few blocks, Marcus and Draco noticed a line of people going down a stairway into a building with no windows. A sign with glowing green writing proclaimed it to be 'The Pit'. Katie and Hermione headed directly towards it, not noticing the look shared between the two boys.

The line seemed to be moving fast, and after a few minutes, the boys found themselves standing in front of two enormous men. Katie and Hermione flashed smiles at these men and they lifted the velvet rope after a moment's consultation with the two witches.

Draco and Marcus found themselves led into a huge room. It was mostly dark, the walls painted matte black, and the bar was lit up with more of that weird glowing light. There were a few tables directly around the bar, but the majority of the room was taken up by an enormous dance floor where colored lights flashed and occasionally smoke poured from overhead. Looking up towards the ceiling, Marcus noticed that there were more screens like in the movie theater, but these screens seemed to picture people singing along and dancing to the music, at least as far as he could tell…

Marcus and Draco were also shocked by what the people were doing. When the girls had said they wanted to go dancing, Draco had assumed it would be much like the types of dances he had attended since he was old enough to walk. Marcus had come to the same conclusion. Both boys had been a bit surprised by the girls' appearances at the pub, thinking that their clothing was not appropriate for dancing in.

They were speechless at what the people around them were doing.

Draco, sneering, thought he wouldn't call that dancing. Grinding, yes, an obscenely sexual mating ritual, yes. But not dancing.

Marcus got over his shock quickly, and grinning at Katie, took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. After a moment, they were lost in the press and grind of bodies on all sides.

"So, this is what Muggles call dancing?" he whispered into her ear as he ground his hips into hers.

"No, this is what Muggles call clubbing. Dancing is a more generic term."

"You look beautiful tonight, Katie."

"You look good yourself."

Before he could try to continue the conversation over the loud pounding rhythm, Katie put her arms around his shoulders and pulled his face close to hers.

"You feel good in my arms, Marcus. I'm having a good time. But I have to know, why?"

"Why what, Katie?"

"Why did you pick me?"

"Because when I saw your name still on the list, I knew you were the only possible choice."

Katie just smiled at him for a moment, looking deep into his eyes, and pulled his face the last few inches to kiss him.

Marcus was surprised for a moment. He had thought she had pulled him close to try and talk over the music. But the feel of her lips on his, slick and full, made his heart race. Before he realized what he was doing he was kissing her back with more abandon than he had ever kissed a witch. It just felt right.

Heart in her throat, Katie pulled back and broke the kiss to see Marcus's reaction. The slightly dazed look in his eyes and the silly grin on his face relieved her on her concerns. Before she knew it, Marcus had bent forward and claimed her lips for his own.

* * *

Draco, seeing them disappear, looked hesitantly at Granger.

At that moment, she turned to him and smirked, cocking an eyebrow in challenge.

Draco, never one to back down from a challenge, grabbed her had and pulled her along in his wake.

Looking at the couples around him, seeing how they held each other close, he gently clasped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

Hermione, hesitant at first, decided that she may as well embrace her fate. The moment Malfoy pulled her against him she rolled her hips in a dance move, bringing their pelvises together. Generally, when she went dancing with her friends they danced in groups, not as couples, and mostly swayed to the music. But Hermione had been watching the way couples danced together for quite some time. Even so, she was shocked at how right it felt when her body connected with Malfoy's.

Shocked didn't even begin to describe Draco's reaction. Before he could stop himself, he dragged a hand up her back to fist in her hair, and pulled her towards him. Seizing his courage like some Gryffindor, he pressed his lips to her in their first kiss.

Surprised at his aggressiveness, Hermione found her lips and tongue reacting to Malfoy before her brain had processed what was happening. Her hands, which had been on his shoulders, reached up and Hermione began running her fingers through his hair, noticing how soft and fine it was.

Several minutes passed while they stood swaying to the music and learning each other's taste, when finally the need to breath deeply cause them to pull apart. The look of wonder on their faces was so different from the looks they had shared only that morning that an observer would never have recognized them as the same couple.

Hesitant to push her luck, Hermione laid her head on Draco's shoulder and held him close.

"This is nice," she said.

"Yes, it is…"

"Malfoy, why did you ask for me?"

"Granger, we are getting married in three months. We just kissed, and you have your head on my shoulder. Do you think we could maybe call each other by our first names?"

"Hmmm… I suppose so. But you didn't answer my question."

"No, I didn't."

"Well?"

"Hermione," he said, trying her name on his tongue for the first time and he decided he liked it, "does it matter?"

"No, Draco, I guess it doesn't."

Smiling at each other for the first time with real smiles, they let the music speak for them, and simply held each other.

* * *

Both couples were surprised when the bartender announced last call.

They headed towards the door, finding each other in the people beginning to head home.

"Hermione!" Katie called, getting her friends attention.

Seeing the other couple, Hermione steered Draco towards where they were waiting.

With a wave, Katie and Marcus headed out into the street to wait for their friends in the relatively cooler air.

"So, are you joining us tomorrow for the game?" Hermione asked Draco.

"Sure, why not," he answered with a grin.

Marcus looked at Katie. "What time?"

"Um, why don't you come by at eleven. That will give us plenty of time to get there."

"Uh, Hermione, I don't know where the Weasleys live…"

"Oh! Well," she turned to Katie for confirmation, "we could probably allow you to escort us home tonight… that way you can get there tomorrow…"

Marcus grinned at this idea. "A gentleman always escorts his date to her door."

"Since when have you been a gentleman?" Katie teased.

"Hey! There's a first time for everything."

"Well, the morning is going to get here awfully soon. We should get going." Hermione was checking her watch.

With a smile, she reached out and took Draco's arm, leading him into the alley where there weren't any Muggles watching. "Hold on," she said quietly, Apparating them away.

They arrived on the front porch of the Burrow, Katie and Marcus a moment behind them.

"Until tomorrow, then," Draco said, brushing a gentle kiss on Hermione's hand.

"Right." She went inside.

"Sleep well, princess," Marcus said to Katie, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Pleasant dreams," she replied.

"Oh, they will be."

She turned to follow Hermione into the house.

"Well, Draco. This has certainly been a full day."

"Marcus, I think this might have been one of the best days of my life. I'll see you in the morning." And with that, he Apparated away with a loud crack.

"Me, too, Draco. Me, too," Marcus commented to the empty porch before following his friend's example and going home.

* * *

As son as the last Marcus disappeared, a swirl of fabric revealed Harry and Ron, looking pale and unhappy.

"I can't believe they brought them here," Ron said to his best friend.

"Me, either. We'll have to be on our guard tomorrow."

The two boys followed Hermione and Katie into the house, thinking about what the next day would bring.

"Gods, having to watch Quidditch with the ferret."

"Ron, let's figure this out tomorrow."

"Right."

Going inside, they headed up the stairs to the room they shared and were asleep quickly. Draco and Marcus may have anticipated pleasant dreams, but for Harry and Ron, there was nothing but nightmares.

* * *

A/N: Please review... 


	6. Chapter 6

When the girls came downstairs the next morning, they found Molly sitting at the table with a cup of tea.

"Hermione, Katie, I was hoping I could have a word with you before everyone else gets up."

"Of course, Molly," Hermione said, sitting down next to the woman who had taken her in and treated her like her own flesh and blood.

"Well, girls, I was hoping we could talk about what happened yesterday. I know that you received quite a shock, and that the family was not as supportive as we could have been. But, I want you to know that you are family to us. We just want you to be happy."

"Molly," Katie cut in, "we know that you have our best interests at heart, and yesterday I realized that you are feeling as helpless by all this as we are."

"The fact of the matter is, though," Hermione added, "that we don't have much choice in this. And having to defend ourselves from our friends is more than we can handle. And, to be fair, after spending the majority of the day yesterday with Malfoy and Flint, they really don't seem that bad…"

"Did you feel it, too?" Katie asked Hermione, turning to her with some shock evident on her face.

"Yeah… I did. They, well, they were polite, and went out of their way trying to put us at our ease."

"They even ate Muggle food," Katie giggled.

"Really?" Molly asked. "Do you think you could tell me what happened yesterday?"

"Well, to make a long story short," Hermione began, "we arrived at the Ministry and were directed to these rooms. Our petitioners were already in the rooms waiting for us with some lawyers. We spent most of the morning in those rooms, hashing out the details of our married lives. Kids, careers, living arrangements, that kind of thing. We finished up about lunch time, and had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron."

"It was really funny," Katie picked up the thread. "Poor Tom didn't know what to make of us having lunch with the Slytherins. We all had fish and chips, which I think it's fair to say they had never tried something so Muggle before, and had a round of stout. Hermione and Malfoy fought."

"We did not fight!" Hermione interrupted. "Trust me. Malfoy and I have fought before, that was hardly an argument in comparison."

"All right, they exchanged some lukewarm words," Katie corrected with a grin. "And we made plans to meet them for a date last night. Then we came home."

Molly sighed, thinking about the reception the girls had received yesterday afternoon. "Girls, I am so sorry about the way we reacted yesterday to the news."

"Don't worry, Molly. I can't say our reactions were much better. It's just that we had already gotten somewhat used to them by the time we came home," Katie reassured the distraught witch.

"Katie, did I tell you that yesterday when I went into the room and saw it was Malfoy that had petitioned for me, I yelled at him and then fainted? He actually caught me." Hermione giggled. "Too bad I was out of it when it happened. I would have been priceless to see the look on his face…"

Katie and Molly were both looking at Hermione, clearly appalled, although it was hard to tell if they were appalled by her fainting, or her amusement at Malfoy's reaction.

"No… really?" Katie asked her friend, almost speechless…

"Really," Hermione said, picking up the thread of the conversation again. "So we spent the afternoon shopping and primping and then met the boys at the Leaky Cauldron. I think it's fair to say they liked what they say," Hermione smirked.

"Yes, I think that's a fair statement. We had dinner, and then took them to a movie called Alien and introduced them to some Muggle culture. They got to try popcorn and coke. It was cute to see their reactions." Katie smiled at the memory.

"Then we took them to the club we all went to last New Years when we celebrated our freedom from Voldemort."

"Yep, I don't think they'd ever seen anything like that, either." Katie's smile turned into a full-blown smirk.

"They were perfect gentlemen, and escorted us home last night so that they would know where to come to meet us for the game today," Hermione included the last bit as nonchalantly as possible, hoping Molly wouldn't react poorly to the inclusion of the two boys for the family outing.

"What!" Apparently, having raised the twins, nothing slipped past Molly. "You invited them to come to the game today?"

"Yes. We did. I hope that is not a problem, given that they are joining this family in very short order. Unless you plan to disown us because of whom we are marrying?" Katie said it as matter-of-factly as she could.

"Of course not! How could you think that? It's just…"

"Yes, Molly, we know. But they are going to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future. Everyone may as well get used to it." Hermione wanted to make it clear to Molly that, while she hadn't chosen Malfoy, he was going to be her husband.

"Besides, I can't wait to see Oliver's face when Flint and I are sitting in the stands… And really, Molly, they aren't that bad. I know it's surprising, but, well, I had a really good time with them yesterday. Please, just give them a chance."

Molly looked at the girls in front of her whom she had come to think of as daughters. They, like many of their generation of witches and wizards had lived a hard life because of the war. But these two had suffered more than most, both loosing a number of friends as well as their families. While the girls had made a home here with her, she knew they desperately missed their parents.

These girls, who she loved as her own, were doing their best to make a bad situation palatable, begging for approval from those that had filled in for their parents.

Molly was both a mother and a Gryffindor. It was not in her to deny succor to those she loved.

After a moment's deliberation with herself, Molly responded to the plea in the girls' eyes. "I make no promises on the reactions of the rest of this horde, but if they treat you well and make you happy, I will accept them the same as I have all the rest of my children's spouses."

Hearing her words, Katie and Hermione realized how lucky they were to be accepted into the Weasley family. "Thank you, Molly," Katie murmured, both for herself and for her friend.

"Well, I suppose we should start cooking breakfast. The rest of the lazy louts will be down soon," Molly said with a roll of her eyes.

The girls just nodded and headed to the pantry to begin the preparations for a Saturday morning breakfast at the Burrow.

The girls ate quickly, finishing their breakfast before the rest of the family even ventured into the kitchen.

"Go on, then, go get ready for the game. I know you want to look your best for your young men," Molly said, with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

With a smile, the girls headed upstairs, already contemplating what they would wear that day.

Katie turned to Hermione at the top of the stairs. "Go ahead and shower first. I am going to see if I can find those Harpies' tee-shirts Delia gave us last year."

Delia was a chaser for the Harpies, and had graduated from Hogwarts several years before Hermione had entered school there. She had been a chaser for Gryffindor and had been primarily responsible for teaching Angie, Allie, and Katie all their moves on the pitch during her last year. As such, she'd only had one year of Quidditch with Wood, and so she had turned to her one-time protégés to learn about the new Puddlemere Keeper.

"You want to wear tee-shirts?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Sort of. I thought we could… alter them a bit…"

"Oh," Hermione said, eyes lighting up. "All right, then. I'll be in the shower."

I didn't take Hermione long to get cleaned up. She once again was grateful for being a witch. It was much faster to charm away the unwanted body hair that it was to shave. And she didn't even want to contemplate the pain it was to dry her long hair the Muggle way.

Once clean, she headed back into their room to get ready for the game. The tee-shirts in question were sitting on Katie's bed, and Katie was looking at them with her head cocked to the side.

"I think you should wear the yellow, and let me wear the green," she said.

Looking at the colors in question, Hermione completely agreed. The yellow was a deep mustard color with a golden undertone that would go well with her skin tone. The green was a bright, blue-based emerald that would go well with Katie's rosy features and pale skin.

"I'll work on altering them while you shower," Hermione said to Katie, nodding her head towards the door.

Katie just grabbed her toiletries bad and headed towards the bathroom.

Hermione considered what she wanted to do with the tee-shirts. The yellow one was a tank, and as such, it needed less work. She decided to take the shop girl's advice to heart and begin with her foundation layer of garments, choosing another thong and a matching push-up bra, this time in bright, Gryffindor red. She then added the tank and determined it was a bit loose for her new look. Carefully pointing the wand at the shirt, she muttered a spell, allowing the fabric to slowly shrink down until it fit her perfectly.

Biting her lower lip, she appraised herself in the mirror, deciding to wear a pair of jeans that, while not as tight as Katie's from the evening before, hung low on her hips and showed off her curves.

Content with the image waving back from the mirror, she considered Katie's tee-shirt. Deciding that the best spell option was the one she had used on her own clothing, she sat on the edge of the bed to wait for Katie to finish in the bathroom.

It wasn't long before Katie came back into the room. Seeing Hermione on the bed, Katie ran an appraising eye over her friend. "Shall I do your make-up for you?"

"Hmm, yes, that would probably be good. Although at some point I am going to have to learn the make-up charms for myself."

"Let me get dressed first."

Katie put on a silvery bra and knickers set before slipping into the tee-shirt waiting for her.

"First, let's change the hemming pattern," Hermione said. With a wave of her wand, the ribbing at the neckline, hem, and sleeves was changed to a more feminine material. Cocking her head to the side, Hermione considered her next step. "I think the problem is that's really a men's shirt," Hermione said, studying her friend. With a flick of her wand, she changed the shirt to a more feminine style. "Better," she muttered. "Hmm…" A moment later, the shirt began to shrink down on Katie much as Hermione's had. "Tell me when it's how tight you want it."

Katie watched in the mirror as the changed tee-shirt got smaller and smaller. "Now," she said when it was almost tight enough to show her bra outline through the material. While in the shower Katie had decided her goal for the day was to make Oliver sorry he had ever messed with her, and to make Marcus drool while she was at it. Katie slid a pair of short khaki shorts on to complete the outfit. Briefly, she considered a skirt, but decided she wanted to be comfortable for Quidditch. She may be a Gryffindor alumna, but that was no reason to be too obvious…

"All right, sit," Katie said to Hermione, motioning to the bed in front of her. Without hesitation, Hermione sat as directed.

It didn't take Katie long to charm Hermione's eyes to appear to have mascara and eyeliner before turning her wand on herself. Hermione applied real lip gloss. For being outside all day, neither of the girls wanted to have on the kind of make-up they had worn the evening before. They both slipped on some summer sandals and headed downstairs to meet the rest of the crew. By this time, it was almost eleven, and Marcus and Draco should be arriving shortly.

"Do you think we should warn everyone that our future husbands are going to be attending the game with us today?" Katie asked Hermione as they left their room.

"Yes, we probably should. Much as I dread their reactions, not telling them will only make it worse."

* * *

At precisely eleven that morning, Marcus and Draco arrived on the Weasley's front porch and knocked politely on the door. It was not long before the door was opened by a red-haired woman that both Marcus and Draco recognized as the Weasley matriarch.

Not quite sure what type of reception to expect, both boys were surprised when she offered them a smile that was warm and motherly before opening the door all the way and inviting them inside the unique dwelling that was the Burrow.

"Welcome to our home. Everyone is in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley said, closing the door behind the boys and leading them into the kitchen which was quieter than it had ever been in living memory.

Marcus and Draco followed her with some trepidation, not sure what to expect.

Molly continued into the kitchen, not realizing that the boys had stopped in the doorway, riveted in place by the force of the glares they were receiving from the assorted people around the table. The only friendly faces were in fact Molly, Hermione, and Katie.

When the boys caught sight of their fiancées though, all thoughts of the unwelcoming looks on the other faces seated around the table no longer concerned them.

Katie was smiling at Marcus, and Hermione was smiling at Draco. Real, genuine smiles that lit up their faces and made their eyes sparkle.

Marcus had always found Katie attractive, but she had rarely smiled at him before. Generally, the look she had reserved for him was a cocky half-smile that she had perpetually worn when they faced each other on the Quidditch pitch and she had managed to score against his team. On the occasions he had witnessed a smile on her face it had been directed at one of her teammates, usually Wood. Today she was wearing a genuine smile all for him, and it warmed his heart.

Draco, on the other hand, had never really witnessed Hermione's smile, and as she turned her beaming gaze on him, he was momentarily speechless.

Molly caught the moment, noticing the distraction on the faces of Marcus and Draco, and decided to save them before one of her brood did something… creative.

"Have you boys eaten yet?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Marcus answered, turning to look at the Weasley matriarch for the first time since noticing Katie, and smiling at her. Draco merely nodded his agreement.

"All right, then, we should probably head off to the game. We'll be early, but that will give us plenty of time to find some good seats."

Both Draco and Marcus were a bit confused by this, assuming that they would have box seats, but decided that they were going to just follow along today and not make waves. Neither of the young men had ever sat in a general admissions section, or for that matter, even knew what general admission was.

* * *

Arriving at the game, Marcus and Draco found themselves sitting in the worst seats they had ever had at a Quidditch match, both in terms of viewing perspective for the game and because they were surrounded by red haired Weasleys. The only thing that made it bearable was the buffering presence of Hermione and Katie.

It was not until the opposing teams flew from their locker rooms that Marcus and Draco realized why the seats they occupied had been selected. They were directly behind the hoops being guarded by Wood.

One thing that could be said of being seated in the midst of all that red Weasley hair was that the group was unmistakable and completely un-miss-able to their one-time friend.

Oliver Wood flew to his goal posts and immediately recognized the Weasley clan, and on a subconscious level began looking for his one-time girlfriend amongst the pack. He freely admitted to himself that he missed her terribly, and often thought of going to the Burrow and throwing himself on her mercy, begging her to take him back. Only the fact that he knew Fred and George, not to mention Angie and Allie, would happily string him up and devise some new torture that would have put Voldemort to shame if Oliver so much as sent Katie an owl kept him away.

Oliver may have been a Gryffindor, but he had known the twins too long and too well to want to let them have a go at him.

Oliver had also not read the Daily Prophet that morning, so he had no idea that the marriage banns had been posted that morning for Katie and Marcus.

As Oliver got closer to the sea of red hair that was the Weasleys, his eyes quickly found the blond head that he was sure represented Katie. But as he neared the goal posts, he had the startling revelation that sitting next to Katie was none other than his long-time rival. Indeed, most such school-age rivalries died out after graduation, but with both of them continuing into professional Quidditch, the hatred between Oliver and Marcus had only grown.

Oliver almost fell off his broom when he saw Katie look him straight in the face and, never breaking eye contact with him, scoot close to Marcus and kiss him on the cheek. He also couldn't miss the smile of affection that this earned her from his long-time enemy.

Oliver played the worst game of his life.

* * *

The Harpies blew Puddlemere United out of the air. They scored so many goals on the keeper that it was almost as though the goal hoops were undefended. When the Harpies were up by more than two-hundred points, their seeker caught the snitch.

To call the game a blow-out would have been an understatement.

Several people could loudly be heard to wonder if someone had paid off the Puddlemere team to loose as the fans were filing out of the stands.

Marcus was having the best day of his life.

He took Katie's hand in his and led her through the crowd which parted easily before his large form. When he got her to the Apparition point, he stopped and said to her, "Katie, I need to go and sort out a few details for tonight. I will come and get you at half past seven. We will be dining with my parents, probably going out. Please wear formal robes, since I don't know what the plans are."

"All right. I'll be ready. I'll see you tonight." She smiled up at him. "Thanks for coming with me today. I had a really good time. Both watching Quidditch with you and seeing the look of absolute horror on Oliver's face." Beaming, she leaned into him and pressed her lips into his cheek.

Marcus caught her chin in his large hand and turned her face to his. Looking into her eyes, he brought his mouth down to hers, sharing their first public kiss in the wizarding world.

He couldn't help but notice the cameras that caught the moment for posterity, and he figured that it would show up somewhere in the Prophet tomorrow.

"I'll see you tonight."

And with that he Apparated away.

As Katie returned to Earth, she noticed the twins and their wives standing behind her.

"It seems you were right, Katie. He seems to have changed since Hogwarts," Angelina said, diplomatically.

Katie turned to face her friends.

"I know we have a lot of bad blood with him. But guys, he's not so bad. So far, he has treated me well. Granted, it's only been two days, but he's not carrying over any of the rivalry from school. Please, give him a chance. For me?" Katie looked at her friends entreatingly.

"Never could say no to you, could we?" George asked her.

Smiling, Katie replied, "Of course not."

She couldn't help but wonder how much of her friends tolerance for Marcus stemmed from the fact that he had been willing to go along with their scheme to befuddle Oliver today. Their very successful scheme.

Looking over her friend's shoulders, she saw Hermione headed towards them.

* * *

Hermione had enjoyed the game.

She was actually a bit surprised by that.

While she had liked going to see her friends play Quidditch at Hogwarts, it was more because of the house spirit involved, and her wanting to support her friends, than it ever was about the sport itself.

When she had accompanied the Weasleys to the World Cup the summer before her fourth year, she had enjoyed the game even though she had been stuck in a box with the Malfoys. She had chalked her enjoyment that time up to the excitement of the World Cup and seeing something so foreign to her Muggle-born experiences. The varied cultures represented at the World Cup had given her a new appreciation for the differences of Wizarding culture.

But there was no reason for her to have enjoyed today's game so much.

Yes, she had enjoyed seeing Wood so flustered and so off his normal stride, but she hadn't known him as well as the others, so while she hated what he'd done to Katie, she didn't feel the glee that was lighting up the faces of the twins.

Maybe it was because Draco had spent the entire game holding her hand, both physically and metaphorically. He had taken the time to explain to Hermione what was happening, patient in a way that Harry and Ron never had been with her. Rather than dissecting the finer points of each move, he had explained the strategies the teams were employing.

It had given her a new appreciation for what happened on the pitch.

It gave her a new appreciation for her soon-to-be husband, too.

After the game ended with a massive defeat of Oliver's team, Hermione noticed that the stands emptied quickly. Marcus and Katie left in the first wave, and were soon followed by the rest of the Weasleys leaving Hermione and Draco alone in the stands.

"Draco… I, uh, I just wanted to say thank you for coming with us today, and for explaining what was happening to me. This is the first time I've ever enjoyed a game for the sake of the game and not because my friends were playing." As she said this, Hermione noticed Draco's smile falter for a moment.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong. If it's any consolation, I would be a bloody wreck at a House game now, not sure who to cheer for… But you have to admit that the feeling of contempt was mutual…"

Draco sighed. "I suppose you are right. We didn't stand a chance back then to be civil, much less friends. We couldn't have been more diametrically opposed. Houses, causes, friends, family…" He paused and looked Hermione directly in the eye in a very un-Slytherin manner. "But, Hermione, a lot has changed. It's not going to be easy, you know. Our worlds don't mesh very well. But… I'm not the same person I was at Hogwarts, and you're not the same, either…"

"I'm learning that. You're right, it won't be easy. But then, very little has been easy… Draco, I really did enjoy watching the game with you today. Do you think we can do this again sometime? Perhaps without the rest of the entourage?"

"Sure. I usually go and watch Marcus's games."

Hermione smiled another of her dazzling smiles at him. "Can we bring Katie, too? I think she'd love to go watch him play. Especially if his team is playing Puddlemere…"

Draco smiled back, unsure if the flip his stomach was doing was related to the megawatt smile on Hermione's face or the hidden inner-Slytherin she was displaying in wanting to screw-up her ex-friends Quidditch career.

"I'm sure we can arrange something. Speaking of arrangements, are you going to be able to join my mother and I for dinner?"

"Yes. What time?"

"I will pick you up at six; mother insists dinner is served promptly at seven."

"That will be fine, then."

"Oh, and Hermione, wear dress robes. Dinner at the manor is usually formal, but I'm sure mother is going to pull out all the stops tonight to make an… impression on you…"

A calculating look entered Hermione's eye then, and for a moment, Draco wasn't quite sure how to react. It wasn't that he was unused to calculating people. He was. But he was unused to bold, easy to read Gryffindors being calculating, and he found it both intriguing and frightening.

"I'll see you at six, then," was all Hermione said before she smiled again and leaned in to give him a kiss.

When her lips touched his, his cool collectedness fled, and he found himself completely flustered. Smiling again at the flush rising to his cheeks, Hermione got up and went to the Apparition point to find her friends.

Draco watched her walk away, hips swaying, and took a deep breath, deciding to sit still for a few moments and allow his blood, and other things, to cool…

When he felt a bit more collected, he rose and went to the exit to go home and make sure all was ready for Hermione's first trip to Malfoy Manor.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione dressed with care. She wanted desperately to make a good impression on Mrs. Malfoy for some reason she couldn't quite fathom. After all, she had met her once before at the Quidditch World Cup and had thought at the time that Draco's mother seemed to have something smelling perpetually under her nose. Hermione doubted this had changed in the last few years. And the thought of actually stepping foot in the infamous Malfoy Manor was enough to give Hermione Granger a panic attack.

Carefully, Hermione arranged her hair as the woman had done at the salon so that it fell in curls instead of its normal bushiness. She took her time in getting her make-up on the, too, trying her best to mimic the look that she had been given by the professional artist.

When she felt that she had done a passable job at making herself presentable, Hermione donned the sexy black lingerie she had bought along with her best formal dress robes. The robes were a rich maroon that complimented her coloring made of a heavy silk that fell in loose folds to the floor after being tucked in at the waist. She would never have picked them for herself, feeling them to be quite ostentatious, but had been cajoled into them by Lavender to match the robes the groomsmen were wearing for her wedding. Hermione and Harry were both standing up for Ron, and Lavender had insisted that the party match. Now she was glad that her friend had insisted they go shopping together. The robes screamed class, and while Hermione was quite sure that Narcissa Malfoy had many sets of robes that would put these to shame, she also knew that her appearance could not be considered a disgrace dressed as she was.

Finally ready with several minutes to spare before Draco was to pick her up, she headed downstairs to the kitchen where the Weasleys were having dinner. She didn't want to eat in her robes and she had enjoyed a late snack, so she wasn't hungry, but she did want to get Molly's opinion, along with any other females present.

"Hermione!" Lavender's voice rang out as she stood in the doorway. "You look gorgeous!"

"Thanks, Lav," Hermione answered with a smile. "I hope you don't mind my wearing these before the wedding, but I was told formal and I wanted to look my best."

"Well, I admit I'm surprised, but I am well aware of the contents of your closet and therefore I know that is the only appropriate set of robes you own." Lavender was smiling at her friend. "However, you forgot something."

"I did?" Hermione said, flustered.

"Yep. You can't wear robes like that without jewelry."

Without further ado, Lavender led Hermione back up the stairs into Ron's room, where she kept several changes of clothing. Rummaging through her bags, she located her Shrunken jewelry box and quickly removed a pair of pearl earrings and a matching necklace.

"They were my grandmother's, she wore them on her wedding day."

"Oh, Lav, I can't wear those. I would be appalled if something happened to them."

"Hermione, nothing is going to happen. And, well, if something does, it will probably be a Malfoy that starts it, so I'll hold them responsible. You have to wear them. Those robes need jewelry to be complete. Trust me. I picked them out, after all."

"You know, Lav, I wish we had gotten to know each other better at Hogwarts."

"Hermione, you're practically an adopted Weasley, and I'm going to be one by marriage. Let's forget the past and focus on being sisters now."

Smiling, Hermione reached out and tugged Lavender into a hug. "Thanks, Lav…"

"Hermione, can I make another suggestion?"

"Of course."

"Don't wait downstairs. Wait in your room with Katie while she finishes dressing. Then one of us will call you when Draco gets here and you can make a Grand Entrance. He's a Slytherin. He'll appreciate the style of a real Entrance, and you can watch his jaw drop as you come down the stairs."

"Isn't that a bit melodramatic?"

"Haven't you watched any Muggle movies about a guy picking a girl up? She HAS to make an Entrance. It's a requirement of the Stage. Please, Hermione, trust me. You look beautiful. Draco's not going to know what hit him. Last night, given what you looked like when you got home, you looked dead sexy. But tonight you are classically beautiful."

"Lavender, I do not. I look acceptably formal, nothing more."

"Hermione, I'm not a guy, but I know a lot about appearance. Trust me when I say you far surpass acceptable. Now, go wait with Katie. And put on some perfume."

With a laugh, Hermione let herself he directed to the room she shared with Katie to follow Lavender's orders.

"Hermione, you look great," Katie said as she entered their room. Katie was still in her underwear, apparently trying to decide between two sets of robes.

"Wear the green ones." Hermione said, eyeing the choices. "The red is really bright, and I really do think green is your best color. Not to mention that Marcus will love that you wore his House colors."

"Is that too obvious, though? I could go with the black ones…"

"No, the black isn't dressy enough. It may be obvious, but they expect that of us Gryffindors. Don't worry about it."

Hermione had walked over to their shared dresser and sprayed herself with perfume as directed. Katie smiled at her friend.

"How did we, two Muggle-born Gryffindors from middle-class families end up betrothed to men who wear formal robes for dinner?" Hermione asked her friend.

"Good question. If we ever find out whose brilliant idea this marriage law was, I say we show him exactly what comes of irritating two Muggle-born Gryffindors…"

"Katie, there would have been better ways to break down the prejudices of the wizarding world than these forced marriages, and I have every intention of seeing some changes."

"And soon you'll have the Malfoy money and prestige to do it."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Nope, I'm totally serious. I've been around long enough to know that being connected with the Malfoys is going to open a lot of doors for you on the, ah… other side of the political spectrum. You, with your reputation and the Malfoy connections are going to be unstoppable…"

"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that…"

"I do recommend you don't bring it up until after the wedding. Keep it as a wedding present to your future husband," Katie said grinning mischievously.

"Gods, they're rubbing off on us already!"

Katie just laughed. "As long as we rub off on them, too…"

Hermione could hear the knock on the front door, and glanced at the clock beside her bed. Six o'clock on the dot.

"Hermione," Lavender's voice called from the foot of the stairs, "your fiancé is here." Malfoy was apparently a punctual person.

"Wish me luck," she said to Katie.

"All kidding aside, good luck with his mother. I have a feeling you're going to need it."

"Thanks," was Hermione's only reply. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and slowly descended the stairs. Hermione felt as though she was stuck in a dream, and she was desperately afraid it would turn into a nightmare.

When she was about halfway down the stairs, Draco's face came into view.

Hermione felt a momentary surge of power as she realized the Lavender had been right, his mouth was open and he looked… stunned? Briefly, Hermione wondered if the root cause of the word usage for "looking stunning" was engendered by the look currently on Draco Malfoy's face.

Hermione smiled at him, which seemed to return Draco to his senses. He darted up the last few stairs and offered Hermione his arm, escorting her back through the living room and onto the front porch, completely oblivious to the looks he was receiving from various Weasleys. Hermione noticed, but was glad they didn't say anything, instead hiding their obvious amusement at the flustered Malfoy with grins. Hermione also noticed that Harry and Ron were conspicuously absent, but again decided not to comment.

When they got out of the house and were standing on the front porch, Draco took another look at her, and with a deep breath, opened his mouth again, although this time he managed words.

"Hermione, you look amazing tonight."

Smiling, Hermione's only reply was, "Thank you."

"Are you ready to go?" Draco asked in a quiet voice.

Hermione thought about that simple question for a moment. Really, she wasn't ready, and she didn't think she ever would be. But she was a Gryffindor, so she would go anyway. It's what they did. She was as ready as Harry had been to face Voldemort… of course, he's had Hermione and Ron with him… Hermione told herself to get a grip. It was only Narcissa Malfoy. Hermione had taken out Lucius, she could handle Narcissa.

"Yes, Draco, I'm ready."

"Hold on, then." And without further warning, Hermione felt the squeezing sensation of Side-Along-Apparition. It passed quickly, and before she knew it, she was standing at the front entrance of one of the most beautiful old manor houses she had ever seen.

OOooOOOooOOOooOO

After Hermione left, Katie hurried to get ready for her dinner with Marcus's family. She had significantly more practice that Hermione, though, so it didn't take her very long.

Slipping into the green robes, Katie hoped that she and Marcus would have some time to talk. For all that she felt comfortable around him, they didn't really know each other that well, and there were several things she wanted to talk to him about.

Following Lavender's advice to Hermione, Katie decided to wait in their room until Marcus arrived. She didn't have to wait long before she heard Molly's voice calling her from downstairs.

Smiling to herself, she opened the door and headed downstairs.

Marcus was standing next to Molly, and a genuine smile lit his eyes as Katie came downstairs. Molly noticed, and any lingering doubts she had about Katie finding happiness with a Slytherin were put to rest. For now at least, he was clearly smitten with her young adoptive-daughter in spirit. Molly couldn't help but smile at Katie's not-too-subtle tribute to his house colors, though.

Marcus was again forced to admit that he found Katie to be everything he could want in a witch, at least to himself. As she came into view in the soft emerald green robes, he felt his breath catch.

He smiled at her, catching her eye and stepped forward to offer his arm.

"Have fun, dear," Molly said, breaking the silence that eye contact had brought the couple.

"I will, Molly. I hope you'll be free tomorrow to help me start planning this fiasco."

"Fiasco?" Marcus asked, hurt.

"Yes, Marcus. Fiasco. Weddings are always fiascos. Something always goes wrong, people and children are under foot, and something is always forgotten. I may have never been married, but I've been involved in enough weddings to know that!"

He realized she was laughing at him, well, them… "Katie, I've been to weddings too, and I've never seen those kinds of problems."

"Well, you don't, if you're a guest. It's only the people who know something was supposed to be different that know something went wrong."

"Maybe. Or maybe it's just the people you know who have gotten married. No offense to Mrs. Weasley, she obviously loves her family, but I can't imagine a less disciplined wedding that one involving the twins…"

Marcus trailed off, wondering if he'd offended the two women, both of whom were looking at each other in silence. A moment later, though, they both broke out into gales of laughter.

"You are absolutely right, my dear boy! The chaos is proportionate to the inherent mischief of the attendees. That said, you may want to get used to chaos if you are marrying Katie. She comes part and parcel with my seven children and their assorted spouses, not to mention Harry and Hermione, and our insane friends…"

"If only it weren't too late to back out, then," Marcus said, looking at Katie and hoping she'd recognize the joke for what it was.

Katie sighed, "I've been saying that ever since I was sorted into Gryffindor and found out that my best friends were twin trouble makers who would as soon turn you into a giant canary as play Quidditch."

"Well, unfortunately, there is no arguing with the sorting hat, so you are stuck with them," Molly said. "Well, I'm off to finish the dishes. Have a good time tonight, dears." And with that she turned back to the kitchen, leaving Marcus and Katie alone in the hallway.

"We'll be having dinner tonight in Diagon Alley with my parents at Mystique."

"All right."

"Do you know where it is, or should I Apparate us?"

"I know where it is. I'll see you there."

Marcus nodded, a moment later, was gone. Katie followed quickly, looking forward to meeting her future in-laws and wondering how all the decisions she had been forced to make lately were going to affect her life.


	8. Chapter 8

Narcissa had finished her preparations for the evening early, and now stood pacing her personal sitting room trying to kill time before she was forced to have a conversation with the filthy murdering Mudblood whore that would soon be married to her beloved son.

Narcissa remembered Hermione Granger quite well, even if she had only had the misfortune of her presence once before. She clearly remembered the muggle clothing, the fuzzy hair, and the contemptuous sneer which had been frozen on the girl's buck-toothed face the time England hosting the Quidditch World Cup.

Narcissa couldn't help but be appalled at her son's taste in women. There must have been some previously unnoticed flaw in the Black family. First Andromeda had run off with a Muggle, and now her own son was engaged to a Mudblood.

Regally, Narcissa returned to a seat in front of her vanity and began brushing her long golden hair in slow brush strokes.

Worse, perhaps, was the fact that this was the same Mudblood who had surpassed Draco's marks term after term at Hogwarts, going on to be widely acknowledged as one of the brightest witches to ever graduate from Hogwarts. It didn't really surprise Narcissa that Draco had chosen an intelligent companion. After all, Narcissa was well aware that one of the things Lucius had considered in choosing her as a bride had been her brains. But with the Malfoy wealth, Draco should have been able to find a partner that was both smart and attractive.

Ugly and bookish: an unfortunate combination in a Pureblood; a horrendous one in a Mudblood.

Even though Narcissa had not seen the Mudblood in person since the World Cup, she had seen her picture in the Daily Prophet on several occasions. As far as Narcissa remembered, the little bitch had not changed much.

How could Draco do this to her? Where had she gone wrong that Draco choose to wed to the little bitch that killed his father?

With a growl of frustration, Narcissa threw down her hairbrush and returned to her pacing.

At half past six, a quaking house-elf appeared in the room and bowed low.

"Master Malfoy is arrived, Mistress, and he is bringing his guest. They is waiting in the main parlor for Mistress. Master asked Bippy to tell Mistress."

Drawing a deep breath, Narcissa excused the house-elf with, "Fine. Consider your message delivered. Tell Draco I'll be down in a moment."

The house-elf nodded and popped out of the room.

ooooOOOOooooOOOOoooOOOoooo

Hermione found herself enchanted with Malfoy Manor. Trying valiantly to seem unimpressed, she couldn't help but think about the rich history of the building and of the family she was marrying into.

Deep down, she had assumed that Malfoy Manor would reflect the inner-darkness so many of the Malfoys had espoused. Stepping foot through the entryway, she was quickly disabused of that notion.

The manor was light, the décor bright and cheerful. Flowers were prominently displayed.

There were no dark hallways, no screams or cobwebs. None of the special effects of Muggle cinema that she had been subconsciously expecting were present.

"I'll give you a tour after dinner," Draco said once her cloak had been taken by a cheerful and clean house-elf, tasked also with alerting Narcissa to their arrival.

"I would like that," Hermione responded. Vaguely, she thought she heard footsteps. Turning to identify the source of the sound, she saw Narcissa calmly coming down the stairs.

"Draco, aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely fiancée?" Narcissa said, forcing a smile that leaned towards being a sneer.

"Of course, Mother." Draco said, ignoring the forced politeness plain on his mothers face. Instead, he led Hermione closer to his mother. "Hermione, this is my mother, Narcissa Black Malfoy; Mother, this is Hermione Granger."

Hermione tentatively offered a hand to her future mother-in-law. Narcissa looked at it a long moment before briefly closing her finger tips around Hermione's fingers, quickly letting go. Hermione noticed that Narcissa's hands were like ice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Malfoy."

Narcissa looked like it was costing her great effort to remain polite to Hermione. "Welcome to my home, Miss Granger. Shall we move to the dinning room?"

Hermione was conversant enough with formal manners to know that this was quite rude of Narcissa; a glass of wine and before dinner conversation was the normal course of these types of dinner, and such things were generally not offered in the dinning room. She felt caught in a trap. To call her hostess on her rudeness would, in turn, make Hermione seem uncouth. However, to ignore the slight would make it seem that Hermione was unaware of it. Hermione was quite familiar with the proper way of behaving in formal settings, her grandmother being insistent that she have good manners. But she did not know what to do when deliberately slighted by someone who was definitely aware of proper etiquette.

Looking at Draco for guidance, she could see he was also at a loss at his mother's blatant hostility, and not quite sure what to do now.

After a brief moment's internal debate, Hermione decided to be rude back to Narcissa, deciding that this was something of a test to see if she was conversant with proper manners, being both a Muggle-born and a Gryffindor. Seizing her courage, the hallmark of her House, she brought her chin up and looked at Narcissa with her own disdain.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I can appreciate you hesitancy to have me in your home, both because of the interactions I have had in the past with your family, and because of my bloodlines. However, your discomfort is no reason to ignore the formalities of polite society. I assure you that I am no more comfortable being here than you are having me here, but I am going to make the best of this situation, and I can promise you that it will go much more smoothly if you desist with your efforts to make me uncomfortable."

Hermione had always thought that Draco was a younger version of his father, but in that moment Draco and his mother had identical looks of shock on their faces.

After a moment, Draco's expression changed from shock to amusement, particularly as he saw his mother's face. Draco had realized the night before that while his mother had enjoyed the greatest influence over his happiness as a child, when Hermione became his wife she would quickly commandeer that role. Therefore acknowledging the need for a united front, he quickly offered an arm to his wife to escort her to dinner. His mother, he reasoned, knew the way.

Briefly fortified with anger, Hermione passed through the beautiful home oblivious to her surroundings.

She snapped back into the moment as they entered the formal dinning room. The table was large enough to seat twenty comfortably, although there were only three place setting arranged around the head of the table. Draco gallantly pulled out a chair for his fiancée before seating himself at the head of the table. Usually, he didn't sit at the head of the table, but given the way his mother had been acting and his earlier revelation, he decided to assume the role of Head of the Family. If nothing else, it would hopefully help him keep the piece.

Narcissa seated herself across from Hermione and shot a poisonous glare at the other witch.

A moment later, the house-elves brought out the first course of the interminably long meal.

ooooOOOOoooooOOOoooooOOOOoooo

Draco couldn't help but be impressed by his fiancée over the course of the evening. She had somehow managed to balance along the fine line of cold haughtiness and respect for an elder, and she had done it with the grace of a circus acrobat.

Dinner took forever. Originally, Narcissa had planned for the longest and most formal meal the house-elves could prepare, thinking to outlast the witch marrying her son and watch her wilt over the course of the evening. Unfortunately for Narcissa, the plan had backfired. Hermione had managed to compliment the staff and not fumble the wrong tableware, presenting herself as though she were as well-pedigreed as the family she was marrying into.

As soon as dinner was finished, Narcissa had retired for the night, leaving Draco and Hermione alone to their own devices. She had all but fled the wits of her future daughter-in-law. Narcissa had been shocked to find the Mudblood capable of subtlety and conversant in the manners of Society. Her dislike of the bitch had grown immensely, but strangely, it had grown in proportion to her acceptance that Hermione Granger was probably a good match for her son.

Once Narcissa had left, Draco turned to Hermione.

"Would you like a tour tonight? Or are you tired?"

"Well, I would love a tour, but I don't think I'm up to it tonight. Dinner took more out of me than I had expected."

"I'll admit, that was one of the more interesting meals I have had," Draco said with a smile.

"I suppose interesting is one way to describe it."

"Would you like to go into the sitting room and have a night cap?" Draco asked, not wanting to push her into the tour, but not ready for her to leave yet either. Draco was surprised to realize he was coming to enjoy her company, but decided not to swell on it at that time.

Hermione looked at Draco, wondering what was behind the offer. On the one hand, it was the "polite" thing to do, and she thought Draco may have been trying to show her that he was conversant enough with manners to try and rectify his mother's earlier snubbing. On the other hand, it was also possible Draco wanted to spend more time with her, just them, and so was offering a drink as an opportunity to get to know each other better. It would, after all, be their first real time alone together.

Deciding she wasn't quite ready to face the interrogation that was sure to come at the hands of Molly, if not a full examiner's board of Weasley's, Hermione decided to accept.

"All right, then."

Draco smiled at Hermione, and again offering her his arm, led her into the sitting room. Like the dinning room, this room was imposingly formal, with several seating areas and a large hearth. Seating her in his favorite chair, Draco walked to a sideboard and prepared two drinks. Not sure what she liked, he paused a moment.

"Hermione, what would you like?"

One of the keys to Hermione's success in the wizarding world had always been her observational skills. As a Muggle-born, she had needed to be able to deduce what was really being asked and respond appropriately in situations she didn't necessarily have the training or experience to handle. This was a similar situation. She knew that "ladies" drank certain things in the Muggle world, and she figured that carried over into the wizarding world, too. Unfortunately, she didn't know what those drinks were. Her friends were either male or tom-boys like Katie and Ginny. She and her few female friends had always drunk the same thing as the boys.

Deciding that she may as well drink something she would at least know the potency of, she said, "Firewhisky is fine."

For a moment, Draco's eyebrow rose. He'd never seen a Slytherin girl ask for Firewhisky. He did remember Katie and Hermione stealing the shots that he and Marcus had ordered before their date, though.

Deciding not to question her choice, Draco poured them both a measure of the requested drink and carried it over to Hermione, taking his seat across from her.

"Draco, do you think your mother will ever tolerate me? I doubt she'll ever like me, but I hope that someday she can stand to be around me…" Hermione said, taking a sip of her drink.

Draco took a sip of his own drink, contemplating his answer. He didn't want to lie to Hermione, but he also didn't want to think his mother was incapable of coming to accept the witch he would be spending his life with.

"Honestly, I don't know." Draco was troubled with this admission and what it meant about his family.

Hermione sighed. "I have a feeling it's going to be very uncomfortable here at Malfoy Manor for the foreseeable future, isn't it?"

"The manor is large, Hermione. You won't have to spend that much time around her."

Hermione gave him a pointed look, making it Draco's turn to sigh.

"What do you want me to do? Kick her out?"

"Of course not!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well, other than her marrying someone and moving out…" Draco's voice trailed off…

Hermione wasn't brilliant for nothing. She quickly saw where his mind was going. "How old is your mother?"

"Forty-three. She falls into the age guidelines for this law…"

Silence reigned for several moments while both considered the possibilities.

"Of course, no one can petition for mother, since she's a pureblood."

"True. Of course, Arthur petitioned for Harry on behalf of Ginny…"

"Yes, but he's her father. I'm a son…"

"Yes, but you're also the Head of the Family. Actually, you're probably technically the Head of both the Malfoy and the Black families since Sirius is dead."

"Oh." This time, the silence was more profound. "Can you imagine how livid she would be if she knew I was thinking about marrying her off?"

"Having recently been paired off without my consent, yes, Draco, I think I can guess how she would feel."

Draco blushed in response, not quite sure what he should say. Looking down at his clasped hands for a moment, he noticed the silence which had been contemplative had turned oppressive.

"Hermione, I really am sorry about that. I mean, I'm sorry that I petitioned for you like I did. Or… well… not that I petitioned for you, but I'm sorry about how it happened. That you didn't get to be courted and wooed and given the chance to turn me down… I…"

"Draco, stop. You didn't write the law. I was mad as hell when I got the envelope, and shocked when I found out it was you, but those are just the circumstances of how this started. It's not what's important. Not really…" her voice caught, and Draco could see the tears in her eyes that she was trying so hard to blink back.

Draco was surprised at the vehemence in Hermione's voice, and he was touched at the tears. His thoughts were tumbling around quickly in his head as he tried to sort out what to say. After a moment, his Slytherin tendencies took over for him. No self-respecting Slytherin would pass up an opportunity like this.

Carefully, he set down his glass and got down on his knees in front of Hermione. Gently, he took her hands in his.

"Hermione, this isn't the best situation, and because of the law, this didn't start off in the best way. But, Hermione, I want you to know that I will do right by you." Draco looked into her eyes and could see the mistrust that she still had for him. He couldn't blame her after the tension between them during their tenure at Hogwarts. But he could also see a thawing in her attitude.

He willed her to believe him, to believe in him, particularly since he found he really meant it. That in and of itself was surprising to the one time Prince of Slytherin.

After a moment, her eyes cleared and she took a deep breath.

"Well, Draco, I think I should go home now. It's been an eventful day, and I'm tired. I did have a good time, though."

"The Quidditch match was a lot of fun, wasn't it?" Draco asked. He didn't want her to leave on a bad note, but he was also tired and had a lot of thinking to do.

"Yes, it was."

"Well, Hermione, can I take you to lunch tomorrow?"

"Oh, well, um… lunch isn't good tomorrow. The Weasley's always have a family lunch on Sundays. But I'm free for dinner. And you can join us for lunch, if you like?"

It was Draco's turn to stammer. "Well… uh… hmm…"

"Draco, you are going to be my husband. Everyone else brings their partners. I would love it if you would come. I had dinner with your family, after all." Hermione apparently wasn't above a little blackmail, Draco noticed with a half-smile.

"Blackmail, darling? Isn't that a bit Slytherin for you?"

"I thought I'd deal with you in language you would understand," Hermione said, smirking.

"Well, it was an obvious and clumsy attempt, which is probably what caught me off guard. All right, lunch tomorrow it is."

"I'll see you at eleven sharp."

"I'll be there."

And with that Draco offered Hermione an arm and escorted her to the manor's Apparition room, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek and wishing her pleasant dreams as she left.

Draco stood in the empty room wondering what to do about his mother. He didn't relish the idea of attempting to cope with animosity between his wife and mother for the rest of his life. It seemed as though marrying her off would be a perfect solution, but given Hermione's reaction, it was one that would have to be approached cautiously.

He could threaten her with a marriage if she continued to make Hermione unhappy, though. He could also encourage her to find someone on her own and then approve the match… there were a number of possibilities. For now, Draco decided to sleep on it, and see how the future unfolded.

ooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOoooooOOooOOOOoooOOo

Marcus arrived at Mystique just moments before Katie, and so was prepared to offer her an arm as soon as she appeared by his side. In the brief moment that they were alone together before dealing with his family he leaned over and whispered into her ear, "You look stunning tonight. Green really is your best color."

Smiling coyly back, she replied, "I'm glad you like it."

"You don't suppose your bridesmaids' robes will be that color, do you?"

"No, I don't think they will be. It may be a good color on me, but not so much on my friends," she said, laughing. "That assumes they would still be my friends if I dressed them in this color."

Marcus just sighed.

A moment later, they arrived at a table in a private corner of the restaurant. As they approached, his father stood to welcome Katie to the table.

Marcus pulled out her chair and made sure to seat her before taking the chair next to her. His father also sat.

"Miss Bell, it is a pleasure to meet you," William Flint said, eyeing his future daughter-in-law. He had to admit she was attractive, although given Marcus' taste in women that didn't surprise him.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Flint. Please, call me Katie."

"Katie, dear, you must call me Emily. After all, you are going to be family in just a few weeks," Mrs. Flint said with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Emily. I must say, your picture in the society pages last week did not do you justice."

Emily flushed prettily at the compliment, the picture of the perfect blue-blooded wife. For a moment, Katie wondered if she could manage being married to Marcus and feared that he would expect her to act like his mother, all fluttery and yet proper. She hoped he didn't. Katie didn't think she could pull that off; the idea was so foreign to her. She was not a flirt, not a Quidditch groupie, not raised to think that her role in life would consist of wifely duties and social engagements. And frankly, that didn't appeal to Katie. She was growing to care for Marcus, but she decided that tonight would find them having a real conversation alone if it killed her. They needed to sort out a few things.

Gritting her teeth to deal with the inane chatter that was sure to follow during dinner, Katie pasted a pleasant smile on her face and bowed to the inevitable.

Marcus' father ordered dinner for the table, and they began the meal with an excellent bottle of wine.

"So, Katie, Marcus tells us that you are very close to the Weasleys," William Flint said in a leading tone of voice.

"Yes, I am. I was best friends with Fred and George and the two witches they married when I was at Hogwarts. We all played Quidditch together for the Gryffindor team. After my family was killed, the Weasley's took me in and have treated me as a member of their family ever since."

"I thought you seemed familiar. I suppose I recognize you from the Slytherin-Gryffindor games. And you work at the Ministry now?"

"Yes. I work as the Assistant Head of the Muggle Liaison Office."

"Ah. Do you enjoy your work?" This time the question came from Emily.

Katie tried to figure out why she was asking. Was it because she would be expected to quit after she married Marcus? Or was it because she worked with Muggles? Katie was aware that William Flint was on the list of people titled 'probably a Death Eater but we can't prove anything' that plagued the remaining Order members.

Deciding that agreement without a qualifying statement was the most neutral response, Katie answered with a, "Yes, I like it a lot."

Fortunately, she was saved from continuing this conversation by the arrival of their first course.

Several minutes later, Emily restarted the conversation with talk of the wedding.

"So, Katie, how many bridesmaids are you going to have?"

"Ah, I hadn't really thought about it. Probably just Hermione."

"Just one? Oh, dear, that will never do. I thought you had other female friends."

"Well, I do, but…"

"Well, if you can't round up enough of your friends, then I suppose I can recruit you some."

"Ah, Emily, I'm sure I can get as many bridesmaids as are necessary. How many do I need?" Katie asked, a bit bewildered. She had stood for Allie and Angie, as she would for Lavender and Hermione, but none of the wedding parties had had more than two bridesmaids so far.

"Six or so?" Emily asked, looking to William.

Marcus rolled his eyes, knowing that his mother was hoping to set the number high enough that she could include some of her friends' daughters in the wedding party.

Marcus decided to head this off. "I am having Draco, Higgs, Montague, Boyle, and Pucey."

Katie smiled at him. "That will work. I'll ask Hermione, Allie, Angie, Ginny, and Lavender."

Emily's smile was a bit forced. "I'm sorry, dear. Who?"

"Hermione, my best friend, who is marrying Malfoy. Allie and Angie, my best friends from school, Ginny, my little sort-of-sister, and Lavender, whose wedding I will be in later this month. They are all friends so close they may as well be sisters."

"Oh." Emily looked a bit disappointed, but Marcus just smiled at her.

"So, no chance of them agreeing to green robes, then…"

"I already said no," Katie said, smiling back. "Be glad I don't insist on red. Actually…" Katie paused, looking thoughtful, "red isn't such a bad choice. Except maybe on Ginny…"

"Maybe we could pick a neutral color?" Marcus asked her.

Katie laughed at his look of horror. "Blue?"

"Fine," he said agreeing quickly.

Katie turned to her soon to be mother-in-law and decided to try and put her in a better mood with a little flattery. "Emily, other than knowing who I want to invite, I don't know the first thing about wizarding weddings. I was hoping you could help with organizing the details like flowers and invitations and music and, well… whatever else goes into such a wedding. I'll admit, most of the weddings I've been to have been back-yard affairs with family and close friends. Marcus gave me the impression that he wanted something a bit more complex…"

Katie felt as though she was laying the flattery on with a trowel, but Emily either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Of course, Katie. I will admit I have a bit of experience planning society affairs." She was smiling, now, back in her element.

"Thank goodness!" Katie exclaimed both for the benefit of Emily and because she really was feeling relieved.

The rest of dinner passed in a blur of Emily's chatter about wedding plans and guest lists and menus. Katie couldn't help but feel that Emily was more excited about the actual wedding than she was. William and Marcus both nodded and made small noises of agreement at various intervals, and Katie was in turns amused and horrified that this was probably the highlight of Emily's life.

Finally, dinner was finished, desert was a memory, and the Flints stood to leave.

"Are you going to come out to the manor tonight?" William asked his son.

"No, I think we will go o my flat and talk. We haven't had a chance to talk much, what with the Weasleys and the Quidditch game."

"All right, then. We won't wait up, and we'll see you tomorrow afternoon with Katie so your mother can take her dress shopping."

"Yes, sir."

A moment later, Marcus's parents had gone, leaving Marcus standing in the entrance hall of the restaurant.

"So, Marcus, now what?" Katie asked, coming from the ladies' room.

"Well, my parent's have headed home. We are to be there in the afternoon to discuss more plans for the wedding. However, we have the rest of the evening to ourselves."

"Did you have plans for the rest of the evening?"

"Yes."

"Oh? What were they?" Katie asked.

"Well, I thought we could go back to my flat and get to know each other better. We've never really had a chance to talk, well… not just us…"

"That sounds like a good idea."

Marcus looked at Katie and grinned, offering her his arm. Smiling, Katie ignored his arm and put her arms around his waist.

Marcus paused, taken aback, before he put his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"What are you waiting for, Marcus? Apparate us, already," Katie said, looking up into his eyes.

Marcus felt his breath catch at the feel of his witch in his arms, his heart speeding up, and decided to take her suggestion as orders and get her back to his flat.

ooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOooooOOOOoooo

They arrived at his flat a moment later and Katie backed out of Marcus's arms.

Turning to look around her, Katie took in the large, dark flat.

Marcus's flat was decorated in dark woods and leather. The overall impression was masculine and sumptuous, but cluttered. The table was covered in Quidditch magazines and Marcus's broomstick was laying on an empty bookshelf.

"It doesn't look quite lived in," Katie said.

"It's not. I mostly come here to escape my parents."

"Ah."

Katie walked over and took a seat on one of the leather chairs.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Katie asked.

"Nothing in particular… or everything," Marcus answered her. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, maybe."

Marcus felt a moment of trepidation, but he wasn't given much time to wonder.

Katie decided to seize the moment and, gathering all of her Gryffindor courage, took a deep breath to tell him what she had been thinking ever since she found out who had petitioned for her.

"Marcus, how much to you know about what has been happening to me in the last few years?"

"I know you were with Wood, and that you broke up about a year ago."

Katie took a deep breath. "OK, so you don't really know what happened. Let me go back a bit, then."

"All right," Marcus said.

"So, you know that in my last year I was hurt by a cursed necklace that Draco was trying to get into the castle to finish off Dumbledore."

"Yes, I had heard about that. I'm surprised how calm you have been about being around him, all things considered."

"It's been a while, and like the rest of the Order, I've accepted Draco's role that year. Anyway, after I regained consciousness, I was still in bad shape. I spent a year recovering at home with my parents before I was really back to myself. Once I was completely recovered, I joined the Order and fought alongside Harry. Most of my friends were already members of the Order, and it seemed like the best thing to do."

"I can see that. I think that's why a lot of the people who graduated before me in Slytherin joined the Death Eaters. By the time I graduated, we had mostly seen the mistake of being on that side, but a lot of the people who graduated even a year or so before me didn't."

Katie thought about that for a minute. It had surprised the Order how few new Death Eaters there had been after Voldemort's return, but Katie could see that cunning Slytherins wouldn't throw their lot in with a loosing cause.

"It was almost the end of the war when Death Eaters attacked my family. I was out celebrating with Angie and Allie; we were having a girl's night out. I came home to find my parents and younger siblings dead and the Dark Mark over my home."

Katie was silent for a moment, lost in her memories. Marcus let her tell him at her own pace, trying and failing to fathom what it would be like to come home and find his whole family dead.

"I found them. It was horrible. Like a nightmare, but one that you can't wake up from. I flooed the Weasleys and Arthur got the Order over here to deal with it before contacting the Muggle authorities. Hermione's parents were killed the same night."

Katie could feel the tears streaming down her face, but knew that she had to finish her story.

"I moved into Headquarters to help in any way I could.

"After Harry killed Voldemort," Katie noticed Marcus's shudder at the name and couldn't help but smile to herself, "people started trying to get their lives back to normal.

"Oliver and I never dated at Hogwarts, no matter what the rumor mill said. We didn't start dating until after the war was over. But when we did start dating, we got serious pretty fast, probably because we were already such good friends. Even though we had never dated, it wasn't a huge step from long-time friend to boyfriend."

Marcus was trying not to grit his teeth thinking about that prat with his witch.

"Oliver was playing Quidditch and I was working at the Ministry. Within a month we were living together."

Marcus had known they'd been serious, but he hadn't realized how quickly the relationship had developed. He was still managing to stay quiet somehow.

"With Oliver on the road so much and me so busy, there were long periods of time when we didn't see each other. But I had thought that we were so close our relationship would be fine. Clearly, I was wrong."

Katie had to stop for a moment and re-gather her courage. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "One day I came home from the Ministry early to find him shagging a Quidditch groupie in our bed. I was devastated, and embarrassed, and for the first time I was tempted to kill someone."

Katie smiled at the memory. "Fortunately for Oliver, I was too shocked to speak. Instead, I turned around and left. Unfortunately for Oliver, I went to the Weasleys. I had always been closer with them than he had, so they took my side with a no holds barred approach and in true Gryffindor style, they beat to within an inch of his life. You remember his injury induced leave of absence?"

"Yeah…"

"That wasn't a training accident, it was the Weasleys. All of them. Actually, I think Ginny was the most vicious."

Marcus shuddered at the thought of being attacked by the entire red-headed clan.

"I moved in with them at that time. I was more or less adopted by Molly and Arthur. Not officially, mind you, but I've been treated as a member of the family ever since."

"You haven't had an easy time of it, have you?"

"Well, no, I guess not. But I don't usually think of it in terms of easy or hard. It's just what happened, and I have to deal with it."

"Katie, I'm amazed at how strong you are, I really am. And I'm glad you told me about what you've been through. It gives me an even stronger appreciation for the witch I'm marrying."

"Thank you, Marcus, but that's not why I wanted to tell you this."

"Why did you want to tell me this, Katie? I don't know anyone else who would willingly share this kind of story with someone else."

"Yes, I know, very Gryffindor of me, to wear my heart on my sleeve. Snape's told me, many times."

Marcus smirked at that.

"I told you because it was my way of warning you."

"Warning me?" Marcus wasn't clear about what Katie was getting at.

"Yes, Marcus, warning you. I really don't know what you expect of me in our marriage. And I don't know what you expect of yourself. I am well aware of the types of… opportunities that you will have as a professional Quidditch player. I am also well aware of the lack of fidelity on the part of most wizards, particularly wealthy pureblooded wizards."

It only took Marcus a moment to understand what she was so unsubtly hinting at. "Katie, we are not even married yet and you're already accusing me of cheating on you?"

"No, Marcus, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm trying to share with you that I have been hurt that way before, and that I am not likely to react well if you ever did cheat on me."

"So you think I would cheat, then?" Marcus asked, beginning to get mad at having to defend himself when he hadn't done anything wrong.

"I don't know, Marcus. I don't know you that well. Oliver never even really dated before me. He was too obsessed with Quidditch to notice females. The only reason he noticed me was because I was almost as obsessed as he was. I certainly never thought he would cheat on me. He was one of my best friends, I thought I knew him so well, but obviously I didn't! I don't know you at all! I don't know what your expectations are!" Katie had started out calm, but talking about all the pain and hurt she had experienced was bringing it all back. And it didn't help that she had seen him that day. She was now in full-blown Gryffindor attack mode.

Marcus was getting upset, too, as he hated being compared to Oliver Wood ever. But after a moment, he managed to take a mental step back.

"Katie," Marcus said as calmly as he could, "I'm not Oliver Wood."

Katie sighed, he anger leaving her as quickly as it came. "I know that."

"I'm not going to tell you my life story, Katie, not right now. But I want to make sure a few things are clear. I never took the Dark Mark. I was not and am not a Death Eater. But I was raised around Death Eaters. I am well aware of how many wizards treat their wives, and there was a time when I fully expected to treat my wife the same way."

Katie felt her stomach clench at his words, and was surprised at the pain that shot through her hand, only then noticing she had balled her fists. She opened her mouth to retort, but Marcus cut her off.

"I'm not done yet. Katie, it wasn't long ago that I assumed my father would eventually marry me off to some brainless twit of the right breeding that I would have nothing in common with and couldn't stand to be around. Someone whose life revolves around the society pages and the next ball she's going to attend of hostess. Frankly, someone like my mother, who I love, but who drives me insane."

Katie nodded at this and didn't interrupt. She could see that what he was saying made sense. And if you looked at it that way, it wasn't so surprising that so many pureblood wizards kept mistresses.

"Somewhere someone smiled on me, though. They passed this stupid law, and all my father's plans for marrying me off to increase the pedigree and family fortune were in vain. But the proof that someone favored me is that I was bitching about the law with some friends over drinks, one of whom works in the Family Council Office. He decided to sneak us in after-hours so we could look at the list of eligible matches."

"Was Draco in that group? Is that why Hermione and I both got letters the same day?"

"Yes."

"I'd wondered about that."

"Katie, as soon as I saw you were on the list, I petitioned for you. You're everything I could have wanted. You're beautiful, and you understand Quidditch. You're smart and loyal to your friends and you know how to have fun. You're exactly what I want in a wife and you're nothing like the type of witch I would have had to marry if the law hadn't been passed."

Katie's jaw dropped at this admission. She never would have credited Marcus Flint as such a romantic.

"If I already have what I want, there's no reason for me to look elsewhere, you know?"

"Marcus, have you always been this sweet? Or is this a new development? I don't remember you being like this at Hogwarts when you tried to knock me off my broom."

Marcus smiled at his witch. "What can I say, princess, you bring it out in me."

Katie smiled at him, and Marcus felt his heart speed up again.

"On another note, please do not ever compare me with Wood again."

"Afraid I'll find you lacking?"

"No." Marcus looked Katie in the eyes, trying to decide if she could handle what he wanted to tell her.

"Go ahead."

"What?"

"Obviously there is something else you want to say. Go ahead and say it."

"Katie, you said yourself that Oliver had never noticed girls before you."

"Yes."

"Have you ever heard the saying the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?"

"Yes."

"Well, if Oliver had never noticed girls, and then all of a sudden he did, it doesn't surprise me that he would act like an adolescent. He probably thought he should at least experience other women before he made a permanent attachment to you."

Katie looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're point?"

"I know what else is out there. I know it's not what I want. I have what I want. I don't plan to ever cheat on you, Katie. I just thought you should know."

It took a minute for his statement to sink in, and Katie knew that she would want to think more about it later, but for now, she was content to let it be.

Slowly, Katie got up from her chair and made her way over to Marcus. As she moved towards him, she never broke eye contact. Reaching the chair he was sitting in, Katie bent over and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing her lips to his ear.

"Thank you, Marcus, for telling me that," she said, her breath tickled his neck and her lips brushed the shell of his ear as she spoke, low and husky. "Right now, though, you only think I'm what you want. Don't you think you should take me to bed and make sure?"


	9. Chapter 9

Katie awoke surrounded by the arms of her fiancé. It had been a long time since she had awoken in a man's embrace, and she was surprised at how good it felt.

She stretched, luxuriating in the slippery feel of silk sheets, and her movements woke Marcus.

He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"I was right, princess, you're exactly what I wanted."

"Isn't that a relief?" Katie asked, laughingly. Gently, she pushed herself out of his embrace and slid from underneath the covers. Standing up, she glanced over her shoulder, unsurprised that Marcus was watching her naked form move through the bedroom towards the bathing chamber. "We need to get cleaned up, and then it's time to go to brunch with the Weasleys."

Marcus groaned, thinking about spending the day with their families, hers for brunch and his in the afternoon. He'd much rather spend the day exploring their new intimacy, preferably staying within the bedroom. Unfortunately, with the wedding only a few weeks away, he was not going to be granted that luxury.

With a sigh, Marcus pushed himself off the bed and followed his witch into the bathroom, intent on joining her in the shower.

When Marcus and Katie arrived at the Burrow the weather was lovely, and they could hear a lot of noise coming from the back garden.

Walking around the house, they found the entire red-headed clan and their assorted partners setting up a long picnic table under a large old tree, while Molly and Ginny brought out heaping bowls of food.

Katie grabbed Marcus's hand and dragged him over to her normal spot, nudging Angie and Allie to scoot apart and make room.

The former Gryffindor Chasers moved as requested, but not without giving the tardy couple a knowing grin.

Hermione was seated across the table from Katie, an empty spot next to her that Marcus assumed was for Draco.

"Molly didn't notice until a little while ago that you didn't come home last night."

Katie tried valiantly to control her blush, but failed miserably. "We were out late with Marcus's parents and I didn't want to disturb the whole house."

"Hmm…" was Hermione's only response. Marcus smirked at her, and Hermione broke out into laughter. This caused the whole table to turn and notice the blush gracing Katie's features.

Katie was saved from further embarrassment by Draco's arrival.

Hermione got up and met him as he entered the backyard, taking his hand and leading him to their place at the table.

Everyone present noticed their comfort with each other, but no one seemed to want to comment. For once, even Ron managed to control his temper, restraining himself to death glares, but keeping any comments under his tongue.

Marcus felt a bit less of an outsider once the other Slytherin sat down at the table, although he was unsure if the relief came from Draco being there too, or the fact that with Draco there he was seen as the lesser of the two evils by the rest of the family….

Finally, Molly brought out the last of the dishes, and chaos reigned as the family dove into the large meal.

Draco eyed the eating habits of the Weasley family and couldn't help but wonder if they i all /i had to be invited to the wedding. Percy didn't seem too bad, and the girls were fine, but most of the boys had atrocious table manners. Unfortunately, though, he had a feeling that while Hermione might agree with his assessment of their manners, she wouldn't allow him to exclude them from the festivities.

Sighing, Draco hoped the meal would end soon so that he could get out of there. He might find Hermione a good choice for a wife, but her adopted family left a lot to be desired.

Finally, all the plates were clean, full, happy stomachs were patted, and people began excusing themselves from the table.

"Ginny, Lav, Angie, Allie… before you all go," Hermione began, "Katie and I had something we'd like to ask you."

There was a sudden silence as all eyes turned to the two girls still seated at the table. Slowly, people sat back down, ready to hear what Hermione wanted to say.

Katie picked up the thread, "Well, I know it's kind of short notice, but well, as you all know, Marcus and I are getting married in a few weeks, and Hermione and Draco are getting married a few weeks later. We were kind of hoping that you would agree to be our bridesmaids…."

Lavender let out a loud squeal. "Of course we'll be in your weddings!"

All the girls jumped up and went to hug the two brides-to-be.

"So, when are we going dress shopping?" Allie asked, causing everyone to pause in their conversations.

"Um, today?" Hermione said hesitantly, looking at her friends. The rest of the girls broke out into laughter at the look of uncertainty on Hermione's face.

"Ohhh, it'll be so fun! Just wait, Hermione," Lavender said, flushing with excitement so that a casual observer would think she was the bride.

"Molly, will that work for you?" Hermione asked, thinking how much she hoped Molly would be available on such short notice, knowing that Narcissa Malfoy would rather die than help her get ready for this wedding.

"Of course, dear. Just let me get the dishes started and let me change into some clean robes, and then we'll be all set to go."

"If you don't mind," Katie said to Molly and Hermione, "Marcus and I will go and get his mother, Emily, and meet you in Diagon Alley."

"That will be fine," Hermione said, trying to hide her hurt at seeing her friend seemingly getting along with her future mother-in-law.

Katie stepped up to Marcus and put her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her as he bent over and gently kissed the top of her head. With his lips still resting in her hair, he Apparated them away.

Allie and Angie looked at each other, seeing the interaction between the one-time Quidditch rivals, and smiled. They wouldn't say anything to Katie, but they had been really worried for their long-time friend. That small gesture of affection reaffirmed their growing hope for Katie's future happiness.

"Draco, is your mother going to join us in Diagon Alley, also?" Molly asked, innocently.

"Ah… no… not today," Draco stammered, clearly unsure how to respond to the question. He had assumed that Hermione would tell her friends and family about meeting his mother the previous night, but apparently she hadn't. Now Draco was at a loss for how to deal with the situation; it gave him an unsettled feeling he was completely unaccustomed to having.

Seeing his hesitation, Molly quickly put the information together in her head and made the leap from two to twenty. Even so, she was tactful enough not to embarrass the poor young man further and refrained from commenting on Narcissa and her reaction to the pending nuptials.

"All right, then, let me go and change and we'll head into town."

It didn't take long for the red-headed matriarch to change into a clean set of robes, which although frayed around the edges, were still respectable. She quickly gathered the girls together and the group headed into the kitchen to use the Floo. She smiled when she noticed Draco gently take Hermione's arm and escort her courteously.

oooOOOOoooOOOOooo

The ladies and Draco arrived at Gladrags to find Katie and another witch looking through samples of formal robes for the bridesmaids. Marcus was sitting on a chair by the door looking bored. Draco immediately went to his friend and the two of them talked in low tones before Marcus stood and approached Katie.

"Katie," Marcus began.

She turned and looked at him questioningly.

"Draco and I were wondering if you and Hermione would be all right with these ladies for a bit while we took care of some business."

She looked at him, knowing that he had been bored while he waited for Draco, not much caring about the robes the other women were going to wear so long as they were tasteful. Katie had insisted that he wouldn't see her robes before the wedding, so she hadn't even begun to talk to the saleswitch while he was in the store.

"No, I don't mind at all."

"Shall we meet you for tea?" Marcus asked, fully aware that girls and robe shopping could take hours.

"All right. Where?"

"Mother, do you have a preference for tea this afternoon?" Marcus asked, turning to his mother who had been eyeing their interactions with glee.

"How about Victoria's?" she suggested. It was a lovely tea salon that Marcus's father never wanted to visit with her.

"Fine," Marcus said. "We'll see you there at four."

Again, he bent and brushed a gentle kiss on Katie's forehead before walking to the door and stepping out, clearly waiting for Draco.

Draco looked at Hermione and saw that her attention was divided between her friends and Marcus and Katie. Walking over to her, he gently took her elbow and pulled her towards him.

"Hermione, I am going to have the shop put all the robes for our wedding on the Malfoy account. I'll let you tell your bridesmaids. If I do it, they'll be insulted. But I don't want the Weasleys to have any hardships associated with being in our wedding."

Shocked at his sensitivity, Hermione felt her jaw dropping. Quickly, she shut her mouth, turning to look Draco in the eyes. "Thank you, Draco. I will make sure they understand the offer as an act of generosity, not arrogance."

"Good. I'm going shopping with Marcus while you look at robes. We'll meet up for tea with the others."

"All right." Hermione watched Draco move away and talk to the saleswitch.

The witch watched him coming, and Hermione noticed her unobtrusively wet her lips and lean toward Draco as he began to talk to her. Hermione smiled inwardly to see him draw back from her obvious attempts at flirtation, although she seemed just as pleased with the news that for one of the parties, money would not be an issue in selecting robes.

With a smile at Hermione, Draco left the shop and the group of witches chattering about fabrics and styles and colors. Marcus was standing right outside the door.

"Well," Marcus said in his gravelly voice, "where to?"

"First, I need to go to Gringotts."

"All right."

The boys headed off towards the bank, each lost in their own thoughts.

They entered the bank through the massively imposing front doors, and walked along the rows of goblins until they reached one not currently engaged.

After a moment, he looked up at them and asked, "Can I help you?" His voice was a strange mixture of threat and obeisance, a combination that always caused an atavistic reaction in Draco.

"Yes. I need to make some changes to my accounts."

The goblin looked up his long nose at the young man. He studied Draco's expression for a moment before nodding to himself.

"Very well. Follow me."

The goblin moved from his desk through a door that was partially obscured in shadow. As Draco and Marcus entered the room beyond, they looked around avidly. Neither of them had even been into one of these private rooms before, rooms where the most delicate financial negations occurred, something that appealed strongly to their Slytherin nature. The goblin waited patiently while they took chairs before seating himself at the head of the table.

"Mr. Malfoy, what can I do for you today?"

For a moment Marcus was offended that the goblin didn't bother to address him as well, but he quickly got over it as he realized that he didn't yet hold the title of Head of the Family.

"I'm getting married soon," Draco began.

"Congratulations," the goblin intoned. Marcus realized it hadn't yet told them his name.

Draco nodded his response in his most patrician manner. "I wish to add my fiancée to the family accounts, both here at Gringotts and for the account Gringotts manages for the various wizarding establishments where we shop.

Marcus felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Draco was going to give Hermione full access to his money even before the wedding? He was shocked. Marcus looked over at the goblin and thought the creature was having an equally difficult time controlling his expressions at this news.

"Indeed?" the goblin finally managed to ask.

"Yes. Further, I wish you to set up a special account for my fiancée and Molly Weasley to be used for wedding expenses."

At this, the goblin couldn't even manage a response, and Marcus wondered if it was because Draco was going to give a Weasley access to any of his money. It couldn't be because the goblin was unfamiliar with the Weasley family. There were too many of them for him not to know the family, they were too prominent, and Marcus had thought that at least one of the sons had worked for the bank… one of the older ones….

"Mr. Malfoy, with all due respect," at this, the goblin's tone betrayed his doubts as to how much respect this young patriarch deserved, "are you sure this is wise? Have you discussed this with your mother? Or with your financial advisors?"

Draco's demeanor, which had already been reserved, became downright chilly with these questions. "I do not i think /i it wise, I have decided it is what I am going to do. Either this bank will comply, or I will be forced to take my business elsewhere."

"Mr. Malfoy, as you know, we are the only wizarding bank available—"

Draco cut the goblin off. "I am marrying a Muggle-born witch. I'm sure she and I could move my investments into the Muggle world without too much trouble."

If anything, this suggestion made the goblin splutter harder.

"That will not be necessary," the goblin assured Draco.

Again, Draco only nodded in response. Marcus was impressed with how cool he was playing this. Marcus had thought of Draco as a younger brother for years now, and at that moment, he was quite proud of him.

"I will set the accounts up this week."

"You will set the accounts up i now /i , while I wait, so that I can give my fiancée her keys when we meet for tea."

With a swallow, the goblin nodded and hurried from the room.

"That went well," Marcus said in a light-hearted tone designed to break the tension that had stayed in the room even with the goblin's departure.

"Didn't it, though?"

With a smile, they sat and waited for the goblin to return… with keys to the oldest and largest wizarding vault, to be given to a Muggle-born witch.

oooOOOOoooOOOOooo

"Now what?" Draco asked Marcus as they left the bank. "Leaving the ladies was your idea."

"I want to get Katie a ring."

Draco stopped dead in his track. "Gods, we really did do this unconventionally, didn't we?"

"Yeah."

"All right. Lead on, Marcus."

They went into a small jewelry store that Draco knew had been the shop his father had utilized for his mother's gifts.

As they entered, an older man came from a curtained-off back area to wait on them.

"Gentlemen, what can I help you with today?"

"Engagement rings," Draco said.

"Plural?" Marcus asked his friend.

"Do you honestly think I want the future Mrs. Malfoy to have to deal with society functions and not have a ring to show off?"

Marcus chuckled at the mental image that conjured. "No."

The saleswizard smiled as well, although he was probably smiling at the thought of his commission check.

Eventually, they each found a ring that pleased them. They were both unusual, and Marcus and Draco each thought that the ring he had chosen suited his witch. Katie's was platinum. Solid and substantial, like Marcus, it was set with a large diamond surrounded by smaller emeralds. The band was decorated with a delicate pattern that was reminiscent of Celtic knots and reminded Marcus of how intertwined their lives had become.

Hermione's was also set in platinum, but instead of begin ornate, Draco had opted for classic simplicity. It was the opposite of traditional Malfoy engagement rings, and Draco had chosen it to because its very normalcy appealed to him. He thought it would appeal to her, too. Draco knew that one of the reasons there had been such animosity between him and the other children at Hogwarts had been due to his need to flaunt his family's wealth. If he had anything to say about it, that wouldn't be a trait carried into the next generation, and he was quite certain that Hermione would agree.

oooOOOOoooOOOOooo

The girls had been enjoying their shopping at Gladrags, although there had been considerable debate on the bridesmaids' robes.

As a group, they had decided to pick robes for Katie's wedding first since… well… it was first.

The first debate had been over color.

Emily had wanted to get a lovely peach color, since the roses that were planted outside the manor would match it perfectly.

"But Katie, dear, the color would be simply stunning on your girls, too. They all look wonderful in that color," Emily said, trying her best to get her way.

"Well, Emily, that's true, it does look good on all of them. But Marcus and I agreed we wanted the main wedding color to be blue."

"Oh," Emily said, her face falling. "Well, blue and peach do look lovely together, I suppose."

Katie tried valiantly to hide a smile at her future mother-in-law's crestfallen expression. She noticed her friends were doing the same. Even Molly.

"So," Katie began, trying to cheer the woman up, "what style do you think would be most flattering on the girls?"

"Well, dear, they are all lovely, so I'm sure they will be beautiful in whatever we pick. Why don't you girls start looking for styles you like?"

Emily was right, the girls were all lovely. Most of them had played Quidditch for years and had toned muscles to show for it. Hermione and Lavender had been toned by the war.

It didn't take long for the girls to agree, and even Emily found nothing to criticize in their selection. It had a deep sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves, and a drop-waisted full skirt that went to the floor. It had a beautiful detailing of embroidery, but the overall impression was of simple elegance.

Katie turned to the saleswitch. "That's it," she said with finality. "Now we just need to pick the exact color of blue. What are our choices?"

With a smile, the slender girl brought out a large book of fabric samples. "We'll need to find one that suits all of their complexions, and one that Madam likes, to go with the roses," she said, hefting the book onto a low table.

Emily wasted no time in opening the book and beginning to look through the swatches. She quickly found one of a soft blue-green that, while it had more green than Katie preferred, certainly would look lovely with peach roses. Not wanting an argument, or really caring all that much, Katie acquiesced and the bridesmaids stood one at a time to be measured for their robes.

"Now dear," the saleswitch started, "when is the wedding?"

"In four weeks," Katie answered her, absentmindedly.

"Four weeks?" the girl exclaimed.

"That's right. Is that a problem? We are being married under the marriage law, and so don't have a lot of time."

"Well, usually we need at least 3 months for bridesmaids' dresses."

Emily, used to placating shopkeepers, stepped over to the girl and began talking to her in a low, comforting voice. Katie couldn't hear what she was saying, but it probably had to do with extra galleons for a rush order…

Deciding to let Emily deal with it, Katie turned her attention to finding her own wedding robes. As the girls finished being measured, they came over to help her.

It didn't take long for her to find exactly what she wanted. It was a bit more ornate than the bridesmaids' dresses, but over all it seemed like it was made to go with them. The same low-cut sweetheart neckline, the same cap sleeves, the same drop waist. It had a fuller skirt, with more lace and pearls, and a train in back, and Katie knew as soon as she saw it that it was perfect.

Katie stood and submitted to the measuring tape, and noticed that Emily was drabbing at her eyes. It seemed she approved, although Katie wasn't sure if the approval was for the dress or for the fact that Marcus was finally getting married.

Once the robes for Katie's wedding were chosen, the girls turned to figuring out what to do for Hermione and Draco's wedding.

Not having a future-mother-in-law to please, Hermione found what she wanted very quickly. For her wedding, the bridesmaids would be wearing simple sheath dresses that looked elegant in an understated way. She picked a deep forest green material of raw silk, and while the girls all looked at her strangely for choosing green, they all admitted it brought out the natural sheen of the nubby silk.

For her own robes, Hermione chose another a-line dress, although hers had a full skirt and three-quarter length sleeves. Emily tried to protest her choice for a moment, because it was completely plain with no lace or other ornamentation except for the pearl buttons, but when Hermione slid the sample dress on, it was obvious that it was perfect for her. The natural silk reflected the light onto her skin and she glowed.

"Beautiful," Emily breathed.

The rest of the girls just nodded in agreement.

"Well, that was easier than anticipated," Hermione laughed as she got back into her own clothing. "We're done just in time to meet Draco and Marcus for tea."

They all glanced at watches and saw she was right. Smiling at the saleswitch, they made sure they had all their things and headed off to Victoria's to meet the boys.

The group of witches arrived at the tea shop and were quickly seated at a large table by the window. Talk amongst the group, unsurprisingly, was all about the upcoming weddings; not only Hermione's and Katie's, but also Lavender's.

"Molly," Emily started, "I don't know how you manage. I mean, you have how many children? And all of them have gotten married in the last couple of years? It's amazing, really."

"Well, they have been a handful, but we've mostly had smaller weddings with family and a few friends."

"Yes, Katie had mentioned something about that the night we met her. She's a lovely girl. I'm so pleased that Marcus chose such a charming young woman. I must admit, when this law passed, William and I were quite concerned who he'd end up with, since he had to marry a… ah… Muggle-born. Of course, that probably didn't concern you and your husband as much."

Molly took a moment to calm herself before she answered. "No, Emily, it didn't concern us. Arthur and I have long thought that the obsession with blood-status was silly. Of course, in our case it didn't matter, as all of our boys were already dating Muggle-born witches. The only children of ours it affected were our foundlings."

"Foundlings?" Emily asked.

"Katie and Hermione."

"Oh! How did they come to be such a part of your family? You treat them like they're your own."

"Well, Hermione and Harry became friends with Ron as first years. Neither had grown up in the wizarding world, and so ours was the first wizarding home they saw. For a while we had hoped that Ron and Hermione would make a pair of it, but it never worked out. Katie we didn't know as well when they were in school. She played Quidditch with Fred and George, and later with Ron and Harry. And her best friends married the twins. But it wasn't until her parents and siblings were killed by Death Eaters that we really got to know her. She was left alone after that attack, and we had some room, so… well… she just came to be part of the family."

"It's so good of you to have taken them in. It's horrible how they lost their families. I know that Katie has been really missing her family lately. I think planning the wedding has made her feel their loss all over again. It's one of the important family milestones, after all. I'm sure that's true for Muggles, too."

"Yes, and while I'm more than happy to stand in, it really isn't the same for them," Molly said sadly.

Just them, Marcus and Draco wandered in and took seats next to their witches.

"So, did you find robes?" Marcus asked, looking at Katie and then at his mother.

"Of course we did."

Lavender giggled. "Of course we did, Marcus Flint. Not only that, but we found robes we all liked!"

Katie started laughing at that, and was soon joined by the other girls at the table. Molly and Emily looked a bit confused at the hilarity, and the boys traded looks of complete incomprehension.

"Cracked, the lot of them," Marcus said to Draco, a teasing tone in his voice as he looked at Katie.

"Not at all," Allie cut in. "It's just that usually, bridesmaids' dresses are hideous."

"What? Why?" Draco asked, completely confused.

"Well, the joke is that it's so no one pays any attention to them, so the bride can be sure she looks the best. So Muggle bridesmaids usually have dresses in some ugly color with puffy sleeves and bows on the arse… horrible, really, to do that to your friends…." Angie said, still laughing.

"Well, I'm glad you will all look nice. Even if you're all married, my friends would kill me if I paired them with hideous women," Marcus said, jokingly.

A moment later, tea was served, and the group fell quiet, ravenously hungry after their arduous day shopping.

When they had finished, the group broke up once again, returning to their homes.

Molly turned to Emily before they left. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Emily. We should get together again soon and talk more about the wedding."

"Oh, yes, definitely. You and Katie should come to the manor for tea sometime and we can make sure things are all set for the big day."

"That would be lovely. Send us an owl." They shook hands with a smile before Apparating away.

Soon, only the two couples were left.

"Well," Katie said, "it's been a lot of fun, but I really should go back to the Burrow and get some rest. I have a long week ahead of me."

Marcus looked down at his witch. "All right, but we'll get together tomorrow. I didn't get to spend any time with you today."

With a blush, Katie gave him a kiss and left with a pop. Marcus looked at the air where she had been for a moment before turning to Draco. "I'm off, too. See you soon?"

"Yes, I'll have you over for drinks soon."

"Sounds good," Marcus said, before he too left.

Draco turned to Hermione. "Are you leaving, too?"

"I really should."

"I have something I'd like to talk to you about first."

"All right."

"Will you come to the manor with me?"

Hermione looked at Draco, wondering what he wanted to talk to her about that badly, but only thought for a moment before she shrugged in acquiescence.

Draco stepped towards her and opened his arms, and after a moment's hesitation, Hermione stepped into his embrace. As soon as she did, she felt the squeeze of a Side-Along Apparition.

oooOOOOoooOOOOooo

A/N: Huge thanks to Gardengirl for betaing this!


End file.
